What Would Have Happened?
by plainjane
Summary: After a tragic event affects everyones' lives, Lizzie heads home for the first time in a year. How will she deal when she realizes some things change and some people move on? *COMPLETE*
1. The Phone Call

This is my first shot at a LM fanfic. Any and all comments are appreciated.

The first couple chapters are going to be kinda short, but hopefully they'll get longer.  And let me know if things are a little confusing.  I've tried to make it flow together as much as possible from my original scrawl, so I hope it's understandable!

Disclaimer: I don't own Lizzie McGuire, people, places, etc…don't sue me.

What Would Have Happened (If I Had Known)

            Lizzie McGuire sat curled up in a chair in the Denver airport, her head on her knees, watching the snow drift past the window.  It had started snowing yesterday afternoon and Lizzie worried all through her last final exam that her flight would be cancelled, but miraculously it was still on schedule.  Lizzie had made it through her final exams and was set to spend her winter break at home, where she hadn't been in nearly a year.  Her best friends Gordo and Miranda were going to be there.  Everyone was going to be there.  Under any other circumstances, Lizzie would have been thrilled.

            It had been nearly a week since she had gotten the call from her mom.  Lizzie had her two-hour Organic Chemistry final early Monday afternoon and when she got home at four that day, she wanted nothing more than some food and an hour to sack out in front of the TV.

            "Lizzie," her roommate's soft-spoken voice barely stretched their small apartment.  "Your mom's called three times today." Brenna poked her head out of her room.  "I told her you had your final and what time you'd be home, but I think you'd better call her.  She sounded upset."  The look of concern on Brenna's face told Lizzie she'd better call home right away.  Lizzie nodded her thanks to Brenna and headed toward her phone.  

One of the downsides to going to school in Colorado was being so far from her family and friends.  Despite some conflicts during her years in high school, Lizzie and her parents had a strong relationship and she talked to them a couple times a week.  In fact, she had just talked to her mother a few days ago.  She wondered what could have happened to make her mom call three times in one day.

Lizzie entered her small room, tossed her bag on the floor and sat down on her bed.  Just as she reached towards the desk to pick up her phone, it rang.

"Lizzie, honey, is that you?"  Lizzie frowned at her mother's frantic voice.

"Yeah, mom, it's me.  Brenna told me you called three times.  What's going on?"

"Lizzie, this isn't easy for me to tell you.  There's been an accident, and–" her mom started.

"Oh my gosh, is it Dad?  Is he okay?  What about Matt?"  Lizzie felt her stomach drop.  She wouldn't be able to stand it if something had happened to her family.  Even to Matt, who had grown up and become a little more bearable.

"No, honey, it's not Dad or Matt.  It's Ethan." Jo paused, leaving Lizzie sputtering, "What?..Ethan?…But what?…How?…I mean," Lizzie took a deep breath and tried to put together a coherent thought. "What happened?"

So…what d'ya think?  Good, bad, cheesy, lame?  Let me know!  And I'm sorry to leave y'all hanging, but I'll try to get the next chapter up soon.  IF I get some reviews!


	2. Dealing With Tragedy

Thanks to the people who reviewed!  You're all awesome!  Hopefully this chapter will clear up a few questions for y'all.  It ended up being longer than I anticipated (yay!), so let me know what you think!

Disclaimer: I don't own Lizzie McGuire, people, places, etc…don't sue me.

"This is a boarding call for rows 16 through 24 on Flight 116 to LAX.  Rows 16 through 24, you may now board."

The announcement broke through Lizzie's thoughts and she shook herself out of her memories.  She'd have plenty of time to think on the plane.  She grabbed her carry-on and her boarding pass and made her way to the gate.  Five minutes later, she was settled into her window seat and staring out the window at the swirling snow.

"I can't believe this is happening." Lizzie shook her head, still unable to believe the past several hours.  

"I know," Gordo agreed, his voice sounding much closer than New York, "you never really think about this stuff happening.  Especially to someone we know."

"Yeah." Lizzie agreed, her whole body feeling numb from shock.  "I– hang on Gordo, there's something on the news.  Turn to MSNBC."  Lizzie grabbed the TV remote and turned up the volume in time the hear the newscaster saying, "…and injuring the three passengers.  After the vehicle went off the road, it rolled two and a half times and slid two hundred feet before coming to a stop nearly five hundred feet from the road.  The two-backseat passengers, Dean Sampson and Karine Le Baron were ejected through the back windshield.  Both remain in stable condition at a local hospital.  The front passenger, Ethan Craft and the driver, Ellie Hart were air lifted to the hospital, where Craft is in critical condition.  Hart was pronounced dead on arrival from a drug overdose."

"Wow." Lizzie murmured.

"Jonathon Brower is on the scene.  Jon?"

"Thanks, Amy.  Police, rescue officers and crime scene analysts have been here since just after the crash early this morning, trying to piece together what may have happened.  The amount of accurate information we have doesn't tell us much.  Here are the facts we do know.  The group of four had just left a private party given by fellow print model Andy Hart, Ellie's brother.  At this time, Ellie had a significant amount of drugs and alcohol in her system.  Why she was behind the wheel, we don't know.  Doctors report that none of the other three passengers were under the influence of alcohol or drugs.  They left the party around 4:30 this morning, presumably to go home.  The vehicle was traveling about 60 miles an hour when it rounded the curve you see behind me, nearly hit a semi truck, struck the barrier and flew off the road.  As you can see…"

Lizzie started to feel nauseous.  "Gordo…?" she put her hand on the arm of the couch in an attempt to keep her head from spinning.

"I know…" Gordo said softly.

"I think I'm gonna be sick…" Lizzie dropped the phone, clapped one hand to her mouth, the other to her stomach, and ran to the bathroom.

Five minutes later, Lizzie opened the bathroom door.  She picked up the phone from where she had dropped it and was about to press the "off" button.

"Lizzie?" Gordo's voice startled her and she dropped the phone again.

"Gordo?" she asked picking up the phone.

"Yeah, I'm still here.  Are you feeling better?" he asked.

"Yeah.  A little.  I can't believe they showed all that on the news.  I didn't need to see that.  Or here exactly what happened."  Lizzie sat down on the floor as her head began to spin again.

"None of us did." Gordo answered.  There was a long pause on his end.

"Gordo?  You still there?"

"I wanna know why he did it." Gordo answered, sounding angry.  "Ethan may not be the brightest person out there, but we all know he'd know enough to not get into a car…" he trailed off.

"And he was doing so well." Lizzie added.  "Why would he want to jeopardize that?"

"Well…" Gordo began, but Lizzie cut him off.

"Look, Gordo, I know you think modeling promotes following the trends and materialism and negative self-image and all that.  But Ethan was happy doing that.  And he deserves to be happy.  He always tried to make everyone else happy."

"I guess you're right." Gordo admitted.  "Remember the time he fed his sandwich to a pigeon?"

Lizzie grinned.  "How could I forget!  I don't think he expected all of California's pigeon population to want in on it.  And do you remember at the homecoming dance junior year when he blew off his friends and danced with Miranda when her date dumped her in the middle of the dance?"

"Yeah," Lizzie could hear Gordo smiling, "he may be pretty clueless sometimes, but he's a good guy."

"I can't believe he's…" Lizzie trailed off when she glanced at the clock.  "Oh my gosh Gordo, it's two in the morning!"

"Auuh-Huh?" Gordo asked mid-yawn.  "No…it's four in the morning.  We've been talking for five hours.  Who's bright idea was this?"

"Oh, I'm sorry Gordo.  I guess I was so shocked about Ethan and then the news and…"

            "Lizzie, it's ok.  I understand.  We're all a little shaken and it's good to be able to talk about it.  However we probably picked a really bad time to talk so late.  Don't you have another final this morning?" he asked.

            "Yeah, it's at eleven though, so I'll be able to sleep a bit.  What about you, do you have anything important?"

            "I've got to spend some time finishing my final cut for film class, but it shouldn't be too bad.  Listen, get some sleep, ok?  I'll call you later today to see how're you're holding up."

            "Thanks Gordo." Lizzie smiled sleepily.  She crawled onto the couch and pulled a blanket up to her shoulders.  The last thing she remembered thinking was how lucky she was to have Gordo to talk to.

So…?  R/R!!!


	3. More News

This chapter is pretty short, so I'll try to get the next one up soon…if I get some reviews!

Disclaimer: I don't own Lizzie McGuire, people, places, etc…don't sue me.

One way or another, Lizzie made it through the next three days.  Final exams in microbiology, anatomy, and calculus kept her from spending too much time worrying about Ethan, and by the time she walked out of her last exam on Thursday afternoon, her brain was so overloaded with information, all she wanted to think about was a nap.  

As she trudged home in the falling snow, Lizzie wondered how much snow it would take to close the airport.  Her flight was late tomorrow morning; she hoped it wouldn't be cancelled.  With all that had happened the past week, going home would help her work things out.  At the same time though, she questioned how easy it was going to be.  She might be better off stay in Colorado and dealing with everything from a distance.  Lizzie shook her head; she'd feel better seeing her family and Gordo and Miranda.

When she reached her apartment, she found Brenna half asleep on the couch with the news on low volume.  

"How was your calc final?" Brenna asked as she sat up on the couch and stretched.

Lizzie rolled her eyes.  "I'm pretty sure I did alright, but if I never see another differential equation in my life, I don't think I'll be too disappointed.  I'm just glad it's all over.  All I want right now-" Lizzie stopped mid-thought when she heard the name Ethan Craft.  _All I want right now is to not have to think about this whole accident thing anymore_, Lizzie thought to herself.  

"Turn that up." She told Brenna, who grabbed the remote.  Both girls stared at the TV in silence.

"…that took the life of Ellie Hart Monday morning has claimed another life.  Twenty-year-old Ethan Craft died early this morning due to complications stemmed from internal bleeding."

The news anchor continued talking about Ethan, but Lizzie blocked it out.  She could feel Brenna staring at her as she kept her eyes fixed on the TV.  The phone rang, breaking through her thoughts, and Lizzie automatically reached for it, her eyes not straying from the TV screen.

"Lizzie?" Gordo's voice echoed through her head.

"Yeah." She responded, know if she said more than that, she would break down.

"We just heard." Miranda's voice trembled; she sounded just like Lizzie felt.

"I don't know what to do…" she told her friends.

R/R!!!  Do it!  Now!  You know you wanna..!


	4. Going Home

TheRealXenocide – It's ok, I figured out what you meant.  And thanks for the advice; I'd never heard that before.  I tend to avoid all English classes if possible, I'm awful at them.  I don't want too much to happen all at once and hopefully it won't; this is just setting up the situation.  I do know where I want this story to go, I'm just not sure how it will end up getting there.  

And to everyone who reviewed…Thanks!!!  You guys totally made my day.

And now, on with the story!

            "Lizzie!" Her mother's cry pierced the din in the airport as Lizzie got off the plane.  Lizzie had one glimpse of her mother hurrying toward her before her face crumbled into tears.  Jo wrapped her arms around her daughter as she had so many times when Lizzie was younger and led her to a nearby row of seats.

            Lizzie wasn't sure how long she and her mother sat in those seats, but by the time she wiped her eyes, the waiting area was almost empty.  She blinked several times and took a deep breath, trying to regain her composure.

            "Hi sweetie." Her mom smiled at her.  "I missed you."

            "Hi Mom." Lizzie managed to say and gave a small laugh.  "I must look so crazy, bawling my eyes out in the middle of the airport."

            Jo grinned.  "I'm positive you're not the first to do it, and I'll bet you won't be the last.  Come on, honey, let's go get your luggage."

            In the car, Lizzie half slept, half listened to her mom, who talked the entire way home from the airport.

            "I just couldn't believe when I heard it on the news Monday night.  It's so hard to imagine Ethan in trouble like that.  He was always such a sweet kid.  I remember being worried when I heard he wasn't going to college, he was going to try out modeling.  But I guess college wasn't for Ethan.  Remember how you called me almost in hysterics when you found his picture in a magazine you were reading?  That was his first big break and then it seemed that overnight, his picture was popping up everywhere.  He even did that series of ads for Abercrombie.  I don't think anyone expected him to be that successful as a model, but everyone supported him as if he were their own kid."

            Lizzie nodded vaguely, trying to tune her mother out.  She appreciated someone to talk to about this, but thinking about Ethan right now was still too painful.  She couldn't believe he was gone.  This was the same Ethan she and Miranda had crushed over all through middle school.  Although their crushes ended with middle school, they were great friends with Ethan all the way through high school.  Ethan was popular with everyone in high school, but was also one of the genuinely nicest people Lizzie knew.  He supported everyone in whatever they wanted to do and in turn, everyone had supported him.  Lizzie knew many people were being affected by Ethan's death.

            As Lizzie and her mom pulled into their driveway, her dad and Matt came out to greet her.  She hugged her father and gave Matt a quick hug and grabbed one of her suitcases and lugged it to her room.  Matt followed her with another suitcase.  He set it on her floor and stood there uncomfortably.  

            "What is it Matt?" Lizzie asked expectantly, looking up at her brother.  He had grown a lot the past few years and now towered over his entire family.

            "I just-" he stopped and tried again.  "How're you holding up?" He asked, his face voicing his concern.

            "I dunno." Lizzie told him truthfully.  "The whole situation just seems…" Lizzie paused, searching for the right word.

            "Surreal." Matt finished for her.  Lizzie nodded in agreement.

            "School has been like that the last week." Matt told her.  "Most of the upperclassmen remember Ethan, so it's been really quiet.  But there weren't a whole lot of us who knew him really well, so I guess it's different than what you're going through."

            "Probably not as much as you think." Lizzie told him.  "How did everyone at school react?"

            "Well, like I said, there were a whole lot of us that knew him really well.  But most people were pretty shaken.  This is the kind of thing that you hear about on the news and stuff, but it never happens to anyone you know." Matt said thoughtfully.

            "When you leave high school, you expect to hear about where people are going to school or working, or who's getting married or having a kid.  You don't ever think about hearing that someone's-" Lizzie voice caught and she blinked several times, trying to keep the tears from coming.  

            Matt nodded and headed towards the door and paused. "Mom told me to tell you that dinner's at 6:30." Lizzie nodded.  "And I'm glad you're back." Matt told her.  "It's no fun being the only child.  There's no one to torment."  He grinned as she threw a pillow at him.  "Nice try." He called, racing down the stairs.

            Lizzie shook her head and retrieved her pillow.  Matt may have grown and matured some, but it was nice to know he was still her annoying little brother.  Lizzie liked knowing that while so much in her life had changed suddenly, some things would never change.

R/R!  You know the drill…


	5. Breakfast

Disclaimer: I don't own Lizzie McGuire, people, places, etc…don't sue me.

Once again, major thanks to everyone who's been reviewing!  You guys (and girls) keep me going!

This chapter may seem a little pointless, but it's got a whole lot of background info that I realized the story was missing.  So if you had any questions, hopefully this chapter may answer it.  And just to warn y'all, updates may be less frequent then they have been.  I know where the story is going to go, I'm just not sure how it's going to get there, so it may take some time.

            Lizzie woke up late the next day, took a long shower and her mom cooked her breakfast.  _This is the lazy kind of day you take for granted when you're home,_ Lizzie thought to herself.  This was her favorite kind of day.  The only think that was missing was-

            "Hey Lizzie!" Matt's voice boomed through the house.  "Miranda's here!"

            Lizzie grinned.  Now there was only one thing missing, her other best friend.

            "Hey girl." Miranda grinned at her and gave Lizzie a huge hug.  

            "Hey Miranda," Lizzie mom greeted her with a hug as well.  "Do you want some breakfast?"

            "You know me, Mrs. McGuire, I'm always up for food." Miranda said as she seated herself next to Lizzie.  Within minutes, Lizzie and Miranda were working their way through stacks of French toast and talking a mile a minute in between bites.

            "When'd you get home?" Lizzie asked Miranda, stuffing a forkful of food in her mouth.

            "I've been home since yesterday morning." Miranda answered.  "One of the perks of going to school close to home." She grinned.

            "So how is USC?" Lizzie asked her friend.  "I heard Kate's transferred there.  I hope you haven't run in to her."

            "Actually, I haven't.  In a school that big, I don't run into people from high school very often.  It's great though.  I'm still majoring in Vocal Arts, but I'm thinking about changing my major to Music Recording.  It all depends on my tryout tape.  I told you I sent it to several producers in New York, right?"

            Lizzie nodded.  She, Miranda and Gordo had talked for hours the day Miranda sent copies tryout tape to numerous producers and record companies.  Miranda wasn't sure if it would pay off, but they had fun imagining what Miranda's life as a Broadway star in New York would be like.

            "And what about you, Dr. McGuire?" Miranda poked Lizzie in the arm.  "How's life in the boonies?" She laughed.

            "Colorado is not the boonies.  At least, some of it's not." Lizzie retorted.  "I really like it there, but it's kinda hard being so far from home.  And I've got several years to go before I actually become a vet.  School itself is tough.  There's so much competition to get into vet school, even as sophomores.  And some of the classes don't help.  Organic chemistry is way hard."

            "Yikes." Miranda looked at Lizzie, obviously thinking she was crazy.  "There's a reason I don't take classes like that."

            "I really like it though.  My roommate Brenna is great.  And she pre-med, so we've got a lot of classes together." Lizzie paused, thinking about missing home.  "And if I get homesick in Colorado, think how Gordo must feel, all the way out at NYU!"

            "Gordo's always been a little more…well, independent than you." Miranda reminded her.  "I know he misses us and his parents, but he's going to film school at NYU.  There's no way he'll miss his chance at being a director going to that school."

            "No kidding." Lizzie agreed.  Gordo had applied early to New York University's prestigious film program, not expecting to get in.  But not only did he get in, but three of his documentaries, including the one from middle school with the hidden cameras, got him an academic scholarship.  As heartbroken as they were, Lizzie and Miranda insisted he go, reminding him what an incredible opportunity it was.  Luckily for Gordo, his parents agreed and had spent the last two years at one of the top film schools in the country.

            "Oh, speaking of, I talked to Gordo last night," Miranda told Lizzie, swallowing a mouthful of French toast.  "He said he's coming home today, but his parents want him to spend tonight with them, you know, family time.  But he said we'll most definitely see him tomorrow."

            "Awesome." Lizzie grinned, loving the idea of the three of them together again.  "And Monday, we can–" 

            "Don't forget girls," Lizzie's mom interrupted her, "the funeral is Monday morning."

            "Oh.  Right." Lizzie answered, both her and Miranda hitting reality hard.  "The funeral."

R/R!  You know you wanna!  Everyone is doing it!


	6. Catching Up

Disclaimer: I don't own Lizzie McGuire, people, places, etc…don't sue me.

Thank you, thank you, thank you's to everyone who's been reviewing!

TheRealXenocide, there is a little bit of foreshadowing so far and it will all start to come together soon…ish.  And Whaza, thanks for that bit of info.  I didn't know George Lucas went to USC.  You learn something new everyday…

            Lizzie and Miranda spend the entire day at Lizzie's, talking and hanging out and Miranda spent the night.

            "This is so much better than having to talk on the phone all the time." Miranda said as she tossed a pillow and blanket on the mattress set up on Lizzie's floor.

            "Tell me about it." Lizzie agreed, jumping on her bed.  "The best part is, we don't have to worry about the phone bill."

            The two girls talked till nearly four in the morning, so Lizzie felt like she had just fallen asleep when she heard her father's voice.

            "Hey, Lizzie!  There's someone here to see you!" He called up the stairs.

            "Augh…" Lizzie groaned, rolling over in bed.  She tried to sit up, fell over from exhaustion, and tried again.  She crawled out of bed and promptly tripped over Miranda, whom she had forgotten was there.

            "Oof.  Get off of me." Miranda shoved Lizzie off her blanket and tried to curl up again.

            "C'mon Miranda, I bet that's Gordo."  Lizzie, now partially awake, tried to tug the blanket away.

            "Alright, alright, I'm up." Miranda sat up and stretched and followed Lizzie down the stairs to find Gordo grinning at them.

            "Jeez Gordo," Lizzie shook her head at him.  "I'm glad you're finally here and all, but did you really have to wake us up so early?" she asked, yawning.

            "Oh, sorry, I really should have thought about that before coming over here at the crack of ten!" He said, rolling his eyes and giving Lizzie and Miranda a hug.

            "Yeah, what were you thinking?" added Miranda before heading to the kitchen.  "C'mon!  Food calls."

            As Miranda rummaged through the cabinets for something to eat, Gordo and Lizzie sat down at the counter.

"You look…" Lizzie paused, observed her friend.  "…the same."  Miranda shot her a look.

"Well, thank you Lizzie.  You look…" Gordo paused, not sure what to say. "…tired."

Lizzie laughed.  "Well, if someone," she looked pointedly at Gordo, "hadn't come over so early, Miranda and I might have gotten a decent amount of sleep!"

"Boy, I've missed you guys." Gordo's slightly sarcastic tone matched his expression.  Lizzie was right, a few things about Gordo had changed, but he still had his same honest, straightforward tone and somewhat sarcastic sense of humor.  He looked older, obviously, as Lizzie hadn't seen him in the two years since they had graduated high school.  He had also grown some during high school and now stood several inches over Lizzie and Miranda.  But his dark curls and serious face were still the same.

"Come on Gordo, you know you missed us like crazy." Miranda teased him as she triumphantly pulled a bag of frozen French fries from the freezer.  Gordo raised an eyebrow at her in question and Lizzie looked at her in disbelief.  "Just like breakfast potatoes…only, not…" Miranda trailed off.  "Do you two have a better idea?"

"Well no…" Lizzie started.  "Ok, I guess.  Actually, that's not a bad idea." She laughed as she thought about it.

"Gordo?" Miranda asked, holding up the bag.  "I've never known you to turn down curly fries." She grinned.

"I suppose you're right." Gordo said thoughtfully.  "And it would be a shame to start now…ok.  Count me in."  Miranda nodded and turned on the over.

"And you're right, Miranda.  I did miss you guys a lot." He continued seriously.  "Now I wanna hear what you both have been up to.  It's not the same talking over the phone." He said, echoing Miranda's thoughts last night.

"Gordo, we talk three times a week." Lizzie told him, handing Miranda a cookie sheet for the fries.  "You know everything we've been doing."

"Hmmm…maybe." He agreed.  "But I didn't get to hear about this last week.  Lizzie, you had the hardest finals out of all of us.  How'd they go?"

"Augh." Lizzie groaned.  "They were tough, but I made it.  Anatomy was the worst, I think, all memorizing tendons and ligaments and muscles and organs…ugh.  It was not fun.  Micro and calc were better and I know I've got an A in those three.  It's organic chemistry I was really worried about.  Luckily, just about everyone did as awful in that class as I did, so there was a huge curve.  I'll probably end up with a B."  Lizzie looked up to see both of her best friends grinning at her.

"What?" she asked, confused.  

"I never thought I'd see you saying you understood organic chemistry." Miranda told her.  Lizzie started to protest but Gordo interrupted her.

"What she means is, you've changed a lot since junior high.  And even high school.  Remember how you used to complain because you weren't great at one specific thing?  Or that you got B's all the time?  And now you're getting nearly straight A's in college, where you're a science major.  It's weird seeing how much you've changed.  But it's cool." He added to reassure her.

Lizzie smiled.  When she decided to pursue her childhood dream of being a veterinarian, she knew it would be a lot of work.  She was lucky enough to get accepted in the pre-vet program at the University of Colorado at Denver and she hoped to get into the vet school at Colorado State University.  But once she got to school, she learned just how much work it would take.  There were more pre-vet students than she had imagine and in four years, they would all be competing for the few spots at each vet school, along with the thousands of other pre-vet students across the country.  Lizzie quickly learned to separate herself from a majority of them.  She studied her butt off and typically found herself at the top of her classes.  She volunteered at an animal shelter her first semester of college and found a job doing grunt work at a local vet clinic the following semester.  Even though her job included a lot of menial tasks, like filing and cleaning examining rooms, she knew it was a great opportunity for her to get some experience and she opted to spend her summer working there instead of coming home.  She knew her family and friends missed her while she was away, and she missed them as well, but Lizzie was proud of herself for all that she had accomplished so far.  However she also knew that the toughest part was yet to come.

"Lizzie?  Lizzie?" Miranda cut her thoughts short by shoving a plate of fries in front of her.  

"Where were you?" Gordo asked her in between bites of curly fries.

"I was thinking about school and I guess I just got lost in thought." Lizzie laughed at herself.  She didn't even realize she was losing herself in thought until she heard Miranda again.

"So Gordo, how's the film school going?" she asked.

"Yeah, Gordo." Lizzie added.  "We haven't heard much about life at one of the top film schools in the country.  How'd your final piece for film class go?" she asked.

"It went pretty well." he replied.  "The editing took ages, but I think it's one of my better pieces."

"That's excellent."  Miranda said supportively.  "And speaking of, do we get to see any of your new films?  It's been years since we've seen a Gordo original."  Lizzie nodded in agreement.

            "I brought a couple home so my parents could see them.  I'll bring them over sometime so you guys can watch 'em." 

            "Awesome." Lizzie and Miranda agreed in unison.  "So Gordo, what is New York really like?  You've only told us a little about it." Lizzie couldn't get enough of New York.  She had never been there, but it definitely topped her list of places to visit.

            "It's really interesting." Gordo began.  "I don't see much that's far from the NYU campus, but even in that small area, there's always something going on.  It's never dull.  And there are people from just about everywhere.  When I lived in the dorms last year, my roommate had spent his entire life in New York.  On the same floor, there were two guys from India, a guy from somewhere in Turkey, a girl from Norway and a girl from Samoa.  Granted it was a big floor, but most of the school is like that.  It's so great 'cause it's so diverse and people, for the most part, aren't all hung up on peoples' looks and backgrounds and everything that everyone was so concerned with in high school."

            "I think that's one of the best parts about college." Miranda spoke up.  "It's like that a USC too.  People care so much less about whether you're wearing the right shoes and that sort of thing.  At least, most of them don't care.  There are some that still act funny like that."

            "I think it takes a while for some people to get the whole high school mentality out of their systems." Lizzie added.

            "It'll be interesting to see who from high school still acts like they're in high school." Miranda mused, reminding the three that they would most likely be seeing a lot of their old classmates tomorrow.

            After a long silence, Lizzie asked quietly, "What do you think tomorrow will be like?"

            "Emotional." Miranda answered the same time Gordo said, "Awkward."

            "Awkward?" Miranda asked.  "How so?"

            "We're gonna see a bunch of our old classmates and their parents tomorrow.  Ethan's funeral is going to make all the parents realize how easily they could lose one of their own children and it's going to make all of us question our mortality and how we're living our own lives."

            "Huh?" Lizzie and Miranda asked, staring incredulously at Gordo.

            "I mean, it's going to make us ask 'What if this happens to me or my friends?' or 'What if someone I know isn't here tomorrow?'  Things can happen so fast and we're just beginning to realize the consequences of it.

            Lizzie frowned, taking the idea in.

            "Lizzie," Gordo turned to her.  "If Ethan was still alive, but you knew you weren't going to ever see him again, would you tell him about the crush you had on him?"

            Lizzie paused.  "I–I'm not sure." She said finally.

            "Exactly.  Everyone's going to be facing the same dilemma.  Do you tell them or do you keep it to yourself?  I think I'd call that awkward."

            Lizzie rolled her eyes, exasperated.  Leave it to Gordo to get her mind thinking like that.

R/R!!!


	7. Emotions

Disclaimer: I don't own Lizzie McGuire, people, places, etc…don't sue me.

Thank you to everyone, or the only one, who reviewed!

TheRealXenocide: I actually never heard of Orson Scott Card, but I may have to check him out.  What does he write?

I don't know if Ethan has any siblings, but in this story, he has an older brother.  Got it?  Good.

This story has gotten harder and harder to write, mainly because I'm not sure exactly what's going to happen and I'm not sure how to get all the emotions the characters are feeling across.  So updates may take a bit longer than at the beginning.  I'm not good at writing emotions, which are kind of essential to this part in the story, so please let me know what you think.

            Lizzie awoke the next morning with a knot in her stomach.  She was looking to Ethan's funeral with a sense of dread.  This morning, she wanted nothing more than to crawl back under her blankets, ignore the events of the past week and pretend everything in life was wonderful.  

            Lizzie took a shower and dressed in silence, not even turning on her radio.  It just didn't feel right this morning.  She dressed in a long black skirt and a white top, put up her hair and slowly made her way downstairs.  

            "Mornin', sweetie." Lizzie's mom gave her a hug as she entered the kitchen.  "You want some breakfast?"

            "No thanks, Mom." Lizzie answered quietly, sitting next to Matt who was dressed nicely, even wearing a tie, eating a bowl of cereal.  "I'm not really hungry this morning."  Lizzie's mom nodded in understanding and left the kitchen, telling Lizzie and Matt they'd be leaving in fifteen minutes for the funeral.

            As the McGuires drove to the funeral, Lizzie gazed out the window in disbelief.  It was a beautiful day out; the sun was shining, there wasn't a cloud in the sky and people all over were getting ready for the winter holidays.  Staring at a family putting lights up on their house, Lizzie felt herself get more and more mad each second she looked at them.  She turned her head and blinked tears out of her eyes.  It just didn't seem fair.  Here it was almost Christmas, the season of peace and joy and all that and Ethan wasn't here for it.  He was missing all of the great things the season brought and leaving his family and friends in grief and sadness.  If it weren't for this horrible event, this break from school would have been perfect; being able to spend the holidays with her family and best friends.  Why did he have to ruin this?  

            Lizzie shocked herself out of thought.  Did she just blame Ethan for all this?  She couldn't have.  It's not like he wanted to die.  It was just the timing…  Guilt began to overwhelm Lizzie and she was relieved to see Gordo and Miranda waiting for her as they pulled into the parking lot of the cemetery.

            Still holding back tears, Lizzie tried to smile at her friends.  They both put an arm around her and the three of them walked to where the crowd was gathering.  Lizzie looked around at the crowd and saw many familiar faces.  She saw Ethan's mother leaning against Ethan's older brother, as if she couldn't stand on her own.  Not far from them stood Ethan's father, looking stone faced with his arm around Ethan's stepmother, who had tears running down her face.  Lizzie caught a glimpse of her own family standing by the Gordons and the Sanchezes, including Miranda's little sister, who looked like she didn't understand what was going on.  And just as Gordo predicted, she saw many of her old classmates.  Larry Tudgeman and Parker McKenzie conversed quietly as the crowd assembled and she spotted Claire Miller and Kate Sanders standing on opposite sides of the gathering, obviously looking everywhere but at each other.  And in front of her, in the middle of the huge group, laid Ethan's coffin.

R/R!!!


	8. Breaking The Silence

Disclaimer: I don't own Lizzie McGuire, people, places, etc…don't sue me.

Thank you to everyone again who reviewed!

I'm not entirely sure what I think of this chapter.  It was hard to write, cause I don't know what goes on in people's heads at a funeral, I can only base it off what goes on in my head.  So if you like it, great; if you don't, that's fine too…just let me know what you think so I can make the story better and hopefully, a little more true to life.  And sorry it's so short…maybe more next time.

                        Lizzie didn't remember much of the funeral.  She sat Ethan's father move to the center of the crowd to speak, followed by one of Ethan's close friends from high school, but she couldn't hear what they were saying.  She didn't want to hear what they were saying.  She still couldn't believe Ethan was dead.  _I wonder how many times in the last week I've thought that,_ Lizzie wondered, almost smiling in spite of everything.  

            She returned her gaze to Ethan's mother and brother.  Ethan's brother's face mirrored that of his father's, both wearing the same somber expression.  His arms were still wrapped around his mother in support, but appeared as if he might breakdown at any moment.  Lizzie expected Ethan's mother to be in tears like his stepmother, but although her face showed so much emotion, she shed no tears.  

            Lizzie watched Ethan's father continue to talk about his son, but she still heard no words.  It was as if she was separated from the group, in her own bubble of silence, untouched by words, untouched be the emotions of others.  She observed the tears clouding Miranda's eyes, the grim expression on Gordo's face.  She found herself watching her family, wondering, as Gordo had predicted, what she would do if one of them were gone?  A weight settled itself in her chest as she considered the idea.  Lizzie imagined herself like Ethan's mother, devastated but too shocked to react.  

            Movement from across the group caught Lizzie's eye as Kate shifted her weight on her feet.  Lizzie watched the tears falling down Kate's face and her thoughts turned to her friends.  What would she do if Gordo or Miranda were gone?  The weight got considerably heavier; her friends were like family to her.  Miranda was Lizzie's confidant; everything Lizzie felt like she could tell no one else, Miranda listened and cared and showed support.  Lizzie knew both she and Miranda held secrets that would be taken to the grave and she shuddered at the thought.  She quickly turned her thought to her other friend.  Gordo was…She wasn't quite sure what to call Gordo.  Confidant wasn't the right word; although she and Gordo talked so often, there were a few things she hadn't shared with him.  Despite those few things, she and Gordo frequently found themselves talking for hours on end about almost everything and anything.  Lizzie tried to rack her brain for a term for her friend, but was stopped by the growing weight in her chest as she thought of not having Gordo around to talk to.  She almost couldn't bear the thought as she felt tears coming to her eyes and fought to hold them back.

            Lizzie was suddenly aware of a loud sob.  Her eyes went immediately to Mrs. Craft.  Ethan's coffin was being lowered into the ground and his mother's resolve had broken.  She buried her head in her son's shoulder and her sobs moved the entire crowd.  Lizzie felt warm tears streaming down her face and beside her Miranda was shaking from crying.  Gordo moved to Lizzie's other side and both girls laid their heads on his shoulders and cried.  

R/R!  Please…?


	9. A Lost Friendship

Disclaimer: I don't own Lizzie McGuire, people, places, etc…don't sue me.

I got so many reviews for the last chapter; thank you all!!  Y'all are awesome!!!  Maybe I should write really sad chapters more often…than again, maybe not.

This chapter and the next couple of chapters (I think) will concentrate on a lot of the changes that have happened in the year and a half since Lizzie and her friends graduated.  They may be a little slow, but the story will pick up soon, I'm promise.  And let me know what y'all think!

                                    After the funeral, most of the crowd went to the Craft's home to pay their respects to Ethan's family.  Lizzie and her family arrived, with Lizzie and her mother carrying dishes of food.  

            They placed their food on a counter in the kitchen where a large pile had already begun.  From the looks of it, the Crafts wouldn't have to cook for a month, Lizzie thought.  

            Walking into the living room to find her friends, Lizzie smiled shyly at Ethan's mom and brother, who were standing together, talking quietly to a small group.  Despite her long friendship with Ethan, she had only met his family a few times and didn't know them very well.  She also wasn't sure what she should say to them, she was afraid Ethan's mother would start bawling again.

            Miranda found Lizzie before she could search much more for her friends and they made their way across the crowded room to join Gordo, who was discussing winter break with Larry.  Larry smiled at them in greeting and continued his conversation with Gordo.

            "It is pretty weird coming back here and seeing everyone again.  Physically, most people haven't changed too much, but it seems like everything else has changed somehow.  Couples have broken up or best friends aren't speaking to each other." Larry nodded at Kate and Claire, who had inadvertently found themselves within the same five-foot space, and brushed passed each other, trying to make it obvious to the rest of the room that one had absolutely nothing to do with the other.  Larry looked back at Lizzie, Miranda and Gordo and added with a grin, "And then there are some things that never change." 

            "Does anyone know what happened to them?" Lizzie asked, watching Claire glance around as if looking for a friendly face.  "I mean, they used to be inseparable."  She found it hard to believe the pair that had been voted Best Friends in their senior class wanted nothing to do with each other, especially in the aftermath of a death.

            "Yeah, what is going on with them?" Matt butted his way into the group, wearing a thoroughly confused expression.  "I just about knocked Kate over, by accident of course, and she didn't threaten me.  She actually asked me how I was doing.  I about fainted from the shock." He said, shaking his head in disbelief.  

            "They both started out going to UCLA." Miranda told them. "They were roommates and I guess they got into a fight over a guy.  Apparently he was dating Claire and got, uh…involved with Kate.  Somehow without either of them knowing about each other.  But eventually they both found out and for one reason or another, blamed each other instead of the guy.  So Kate spent the rest of the semester sleeping on the floor of a friend's room and then transferred to USC." Miranda finished with everyone staring at her.  "What?" she asked, puzzled.

            "How did you know all that?" Gordo asked the same time that Lizzie exclaimed, "Why didn't you tell us this before?"

            "Do you guys remember Sheena Johnson?" Miranda asked.  Everyone shook their heads.  "We were in choir together senior year.  She went to UCLA also and happened to live on the same floor in the dorm as Kate and Claire.  I talk to her occasionally and she filled me in on what happened.  And I didn't tell you guys because it didn't seem necessary.  I didn't think we'd ever see the two of them again."

            Lizzie nodded in understanding.  "I know they were always kinda shallow like that, but I never expected them to lose their friendship over a guy." Lizzie said in amazement watching Parker talk disinterestedly to Kate.

            "I guess you just never know what people will do." Miranda agreed, before the two of them turned back to their friends.

R/R!


	10. More Changes

Disclaimer: I don't own Lizzie McGuire, people, places, etc…don't sue me.  And I forgot to mention this earlier…I do own characters you don't recognize…i.e. Brenna, Carissa, and Ethan's family.

I'm not entirely sure I like this chapter cause it took on a life of it's own halfway through and ended up completely different than I wanted.  So now I'm not sure where my story is headed.  But let me know what you think and if you have any suggestions.

            Lizzie had made plans the following day to meet with Carissa, another friend from high school.  Carissa and Lizzie had worked on the newspaper staff together, but she didn't know Miranda and Gordo very well, so Lizzie told them she'd catch up with them later.

            Lizzie got to the Digital Bean early, ordered a smoothie and grabbed a small table.  Waiting for Carissa, she sat looking around.  The computers were obviously newer and she didn't recognize any of the kids, but everything was pretty much just as she remembered.

            "Lizzie!" 

            Lizzie turned around at the familiar voice and smiled at Carissa.  She looked the same as she did in high school, with her bright eyes and simple sense of style, except her dark hair was shorter by several inches, now falling just above her shoulders.  Carissa gave Lizzie a hug and said, "Let me grab some coffee real quick.  I'll be right back."  She hurried to the counter with her order.

            When Carissa came back, they spent nearly half an hour catching up on each other's lives.  They emailed each other occasionally, usually a couple times a semester, but didn't often have the chance to talk a lot.  Lizzie found out that Carissa was going to school in San Francisco.  She had started out majoring in journalism, switched to theater midway through her first semester and had just switched her major back to journalism.  Lizzie filled Carissa in on her life in Colorado.

            "And are you still friends with Miranda and Gordo?" Carissa asked her, finishing her cup of coffee.

            "Yeah, I talk to them a lot." Lizzie answered.  "Miranda's studying vocal music at USC and Gordo's going to film school in New York."

            "Really?" Carissa looked surprised.  "I always thought he'd end up going to school where ever you went."

            Lizzie frowned, but before she could ask her why, Carissa changed the subject to Ethan's funeral.

            The two chatted about Ethan for a few minutes, both trying to keep the conversation from getting to heavy, and in a few minutes their conversation fell into an uneasy silence.  Lizzie racked her brain for a new topic but found nothing.  She thought back to high school, what did they talk about then?  Most of it seemed to have focused on newspaper, discussing new ideas for features and complaining about the junior staffers.  

            "Well," Carissa stood up, breaking the silence.  "It was great to see you again, Lizzie, but I've got to run.  We'll have to get together again though."

            "Yeah." Lizzie murmured in agreement, but not really meaning it.  "See you later."  She tried to shake off the guilt of knowing she probably wouldn't see Carissa again.  Carissa most likely didn't mean what she said about getting together again.

            Lizzie walked out of the Digital Bean and waved half-heartedly at Carissa car pulling out of the parking lot.  She didn't feel like walking home, as her car was in Colorado, so she called Miranda.

            "Hey, it's me." She said after she heard Miranda's voice.  "What are you guys up to?"

            "Gordo brought over some of his movies and we were waiting for you before we watched them." Miranda told her.

            "Awesome." Lizzie responded.  "So you wanna come get me?  I'm at the Digital Bean."

            "Be there in a few." 

            Lizzie sat on a bench in front of the Digital Bean, wondering at her meeting with Carissa.  She was amazed they had fun out of things to talk about.  Had they both really changed so much in a year and a half?  She thought about her conversations with Miranda and Gordo and realized they talked about much more than just what was going on in their lives at the moment.  They talked about their pasts and their futures, what they wanted to happen and what they would do if it did.  She and Miranda spend hours on end imagining their wedding days and discussing the perfect guy.  She and Gordo had intellectual conversations, talking about ideas and society, brainstorming ideas for his next documentary.  She was even able to talk about most of this stuff with Brenna, who was her closest friend in Colorado.  Lizzie wasn't sure she would be comfortable talking about the flaws in society with Carissa, and then she realized just how much she had changed.  Lizzie didn't talk about societal impacts in high school; she didn't even think about that in high school.  The only one who did was Gordo.  

            A car horn interrupted Lizzie's thoughts as Miranda's old Honda Civic raced into the parking lot.  Lizzie slid into the backseat behind Gordo and buckled herself in.

            "How's Carissa?" Gordo asked.

            "She's doing well." Lizzie replied slowly.  "It was weird though.  We didn't really have a whole lot to talk about.  She told me about her school and I told her about mine, but after that there wasn't much there.

            Miranda nodded, knowing exactly what Lizzie was talking about.  "You guys remember Ryan Adams, right?  

            Lizzie and Gordo nodded.  Ryan ended up being smarter than Lizzie and Miranda realized in middle school and he and Miranda dated for a few months in high school.  After they broke up, they stayed fairly good friends.

            "Same thing happened." Miranda told Lizzie.  "I went off to USC and he stayed here and went to community college.  I saw him last summer and we had nothing to talk about.  It's weird how people change like that." She mused.

            At Miranda's house, Gordo popped in his first video and joined Lizzie and Miranda on the floor in front of the TV.  In high school, Gordo had become famous for his honest and straightforward documentaries and this video was no exception.  This one interviewed people about the changes going from high school to college.

            "I interviewed about three hundred people for this thing." Gordo groaned.  "What a hassle.  I guess it was worth it though, they put parts of it on a video the school sends to prospective students."

            "Gordo, that's awesome." Miranda said in awe.

            "Very cool." Lizzie agreed as the tape ended.

            "Ok, I'm gonna warn you guys, this one is completely different than the other stuff I've done." Gordo informed them, holding a tape.  "I had to make a movie for one of my classes this semester, not a documentary, but a movie with an actual plot and characters and stuff.  I don't think it's very good 'cause I never done this before, but here it goes."

            The movie was short, maybe half an hour long, but Lizzie thought it was one of the best things Gordo had ever done.  It was about a couple their age that had broken up in high school and ran into each other a few years later.  The movie itself was very simple; set in a coffee house and had only a few actors, but it was the kind of film that made you think.  Neither of the couple was quite sure about the rationale behind their break up, and as the movie went on pieces of it began to fall into place.  By the end of the movie, the couple realized their break up was because of a simple miscommunication that was intensified under different circumstances.  They both realized neither was really to blame for the break up, but instead of reconciling and getting back together, each went their separate ways.  The movie questioned the appearance of certain occurrences and how society observes them.  Lizzie was amazed that Gordo was able to bring across ideas like that with such a simple movie.

            "Gordo, that was amazing." Lizzie told him as the credits rolled.

            "You think so?" His face echoed the uncertainty in his voice.

            "Yeah!" Miranda was also clearly surprised by Gordo's video.  "Did you write that?" she asked.

            "Yeah.  That's what the project was.  We had to create an entire movie on our own.  The idea, the script, the camera work, all had to be ours.  Anyone could act in it, as long as we were responsible for everything else."

            "Wow." Lizzie couldn't imagine conceiving an idea like that, let along turning it into a movie.  "What did you professor think?"

            "She loved it." Gordo said.  "She even wanted me to send it in to a short film contest."   

            "Did you?" Miranda asked.

            "Yeah." Gordo shrugged.  "That was a couple months ago.  I haven't heard anything, so it probably didn't do very well."

            "But still, why didn't you tell us?" Lizzie questioned him.

            "I dunno, it just didn't seem important." He tried, but Miranda and Lizzie looked at him skeptically.  "I guess I just wanted to keep it to myself for a while.  I mean, I've never made an actual movie before…what if everyone hated it?  I'm not sure what I'd do if that happened."

            "Gordo," Miranda started exasperatedly, "we're your best friends.  It doesn't matter what everyone else thinks of your movies or if you make it as a director or not.  We're still gonna be there for you.  How many times do we have to tell you that?!"

            "She's right." Lizzie agreed and Gordo smiled at his friends.  "Now come on," Lizzie rubbed her stomach.  "All this thinking you've made me do is making me hungry.  Let's go grab a pizza."


	11. Gordo, The Dependable One

Disclaimer: I don't own Lizzie McGuire, people, places, etc…don't sue me.  I do own characters you don't recognize…i.e. Brenna, Carissa, and Ethan's family and Kate's family.

Ok, I'm gonna warn you, I hate this chapter.  It's a lot of fluff and I'm awful at writing fluffy stuff, so it's pretty bad.  

Christmas and the following days passed quickly for Lizzie.  She spent the majority of Christmas Eve and Christmas with her family and the next several days just hanging out with Miranda and Gordo.  She couldn't believe it when Miranda mentioned New Year's Eve was tomorrow.

            "What do you guys think about the party tomorrow?" Miranda asked.

            The three of them had each received an invitation to a New Year's Eve party at the Sanders' house.  At first none of them were sure what to think.  College life may have forced Kate to mature a bit, but they hardly expected to be invited to a party she was having.  When each of their families received invitations as well, they came to the conclusion that Kate's family was throwing the party.

            "I'm not sure." Lizzie pulled her invitation from her purse and looked at it again.  "It seems safe.  It's likely no one will end up head first in a cake." She grimaced, remember Kate's disastrous supposed fourteenth birthday party.

            "And no one will spike the punch and cause half the senior class to miss the homecoming dance." Gordo tried not to smile at the memory.  

            "Well, it's New Year's Eve," Miranda added, "you never know."

            "Either way, it could be fun." Lizzie replied.  "And if worse come to worse, we can always leave."

            "I suppose this means I have to dress up, huh?" Gordo groaned at the thought.

            "The invitation says 'semi-formal dress'." Lizzie pointed it out on the invitation and turned to Miranda.  "What are you wearing?"

            Gordo rolled his eyes and turned his attention to his plate of curly fries.

            "I'm not sure." Miranda answered.  "What about you?"

            "Well," Lizzie paused, "Most of my clothes are still in Denver; I wasn't able to bring too much home.  I don't really have any dress clothes with me, aside from what I wore to the funeral.  But mom said we'd go shopping and try to find something." Lizzie glanced at her watch.  "And I'm late!  I gotta run, but I'll see you guys at the party.  Bye!" she called, sprinting out of the Gordon's kitchen.

            Miranda turned her attention to Gordo, who was munching on his curly fries, deep in thought.  "So, Gordo…" she began.

            Gordo jerked out of his daze and looked around.  "Where's Lizzie?" he asked, looking puzzled.

            "She left to go shopping with her mom.  We'll see her at the party.  And speaking of Lizzie…" Miranda let that hang in the air and snatched a curly fry from Gordo's plate.  She popped it in her mouth and made a face, they were cold.

            "What?" Gordo asked, looking more bewildered.  

            "When are you planning on telling her?" Miranda asked.

            "Telling her what?" Gordo looked down at his plate, hoping Miranda didn't mean what he thought she meant.

            "How you feel about her..." Miranda prompted, starting to get impatient.

            "She's my friend!" Gordo insisted, but Miranda shook her head, not believe a word he said.

            "How many times a week do you two talk?" she asked.

            "A few…" he said vaguely.  Miranda glared at him.

            "Four." He mumbled.  "Or five…or six."

            "And how often do you two talk online?" she pressed.

            "Fine.  I get your point Miranda.  We talk a lot.  But that doesn't mean anything!  We go to different schools more than halfway across the country.  I've known her my whole life.  So I miss her when I'm away.  So we talk.  But that doesn't mean anything.  It doesn't mean that I have feelings for her.  It doesn't-"

            "But you do." Miranda interrupted him quietly.

            "Huh?" He had been so focused on his ranting he entirely missed what she said.

            "But you do." She repeated, looking at him expectantly.  After a minute she was sure he wasn't going to answer.

            "Fine!" he burst out making Miranda jump.  "Fine.  You got me.  I do have feelings for her.  But that doesn't change things."

            "Why not?" Miranda countered.

            "Because she doesn't feel the same way.  Because I'm Gordo, the dependable one.  The one who knows how to make her feel better when a loser dumps her.  The one that will always be there to talk to.  And that's all I'll ever be."

            "How do you know?" Miranda asked.  "How do you know that she hasn't held onto that crush she had on you in fourth grade?  Or the one she had on you in middle school?"

            "How do you know she-wait, what?" Gordo stopped, taken aback.  "She had a crush on me in middle school?  Where was I when all this happened?"

            "Probably lamenting over the fact that you'll always be 'Gordo, the dependable one'." Miranda's gaze shifted to the phone as it rang.  "Listen, I'm going out to dinner with my parents, so I gotta go.  But think about it, ok?"  She pulled her purse over her shoulder as Gordo grabbed the phone and waved at her.  

            "This is David Gordon." Miranda heard him say.  She stuck her head back in the kitchen and said, "Think about it."  She turned towards the front door and missed Gordo's shocked expression as the color drained from his face.


	12. The Party

Disclaimer: I don't own Lizzie McGuire, people, places, etc…don't sue me.  I do own characters you don't recognize…i.e. Brenna, Carissa, and Ethan's family and Kate's family.

Hmmm…

I know the story has gotten a little slow, but we're getting towards the end now, so things with start to pick up and come together…I hope….

            Lizzie stood in front of her mirror and straightened her dress.  She and her mom had enjoyed shopping at the after-holiday sales and Lizzie had found a dress for the Sanders' party.  It was knee-length and made of a silver material, not shiny, but it slightly shimmered in the light.  When Lizzie tried it on at the store, Jo told her she looked like an angel.  Lizzie smiled at her reflection.  While her mother may be biased and exaggerate a bit, she liked the way she looked in the dress.

            Lizzie checked her hair and make-up, grabbed her purse and the black dress coat her mother had lent her and went downstairs to wait for her family.  Matt was already downstairs, watching TV, dressed in jeans and a t-shirt.  Matt had been less enthusiastic about the party than the rest of his family, particularly about the semi-formal dress, and had opted to spend New Year's Eve at Lanny's house.  He had mentioned something about a horror movie marathon.

            Lizzie's parents joined their kids, dressed for the party and they headed for the family car.  Lizzie and her parents dropped Matt off at Lanny's and shortly after arrived at the Sanders' house.  Kate's mother welcomed them and took their coats at the door.  Lizzie began wandering the immense house in search of Gordo and Miranda.  She quickly got lost and found herself in the kitchen.  She knew Kate's parents had bought a new house just after Kate graduated high school, and it looked like the Sanders had come into some money before they bought the house.  The few rooms that Lizzie had seen were immense and lavishly decorated.  Lizzie continued her wandering in search of her friends when she heard the name Craft.  Instinctively, she paused and listened, trying to locate the source of the voice.

            "…and their lawyer convinced them to follow through with the law suit and with all those hospital bills…"  A commotion came from an adjoining room and Lizzie lost the voice.

            _Lawsuit?  What lawsuit?_ Lizzie wondered.  She strained to find it again, but was interrupted by Mr. Sanchez.

            "Well, hello Lizzie." He grinned at her.  "Are you looking for Miranda and Gordo?  They're downstairs with the other kids." 

            Lizzie nodded her thanks, realizing she'd lost her opportunity for eavesdropping for good, and set out to find her friends.  It took her several more minutes, but she finally found the stairs leading to the basement.

            As she walked down the stairs, her jaw dropped in awe.  It was unlike any basement she had ever seen, another enormous extravagantly decorated room.  Off to one side was a big screen TV playing a movie with the volume low.  Next to it sat a complicated looking stereo set up, playing music close to full volume.  Several plush looking chairs and a matching couch were occupied by several kids Lizzie's age; she recognized a couple from high school.  Across the room was a brand new pool table, looking slightly out of place in the room.  Lizzie recovered from her shock and scanned the room for Gordo and Miranda.

            Gordo had spotted Lizzie just as she walked down the stairs.  He felt his jaw drop when he saw her; she looked amazing.  He quickly recovered before Lizzie spotted him, so she missed his expression, but Miranda saw it.  She elbowed him in the ribs with a grin and waved Lizzie over to where they were talking to Parker McKenzie.  

            "Hey Lizzie." Miranda greeted her.  "Can you believe how crazy this place is?"

            "No kidding." Lizzie agreed.  "I got lost trying to find you guys."

            "Forget that." Parker interjected.  "I could get lost in here."

            Lizzie looked around and realized the room was much bigger than it appeared when she was standing on the stairs.  The room extended beyond the pool table and back behind the stairs, where furniture had been moved out of the way and people were dancing.  

            "Wow." Lizzie shook her head in disbelief.

            "Yeah.  C'mon, let's shoot some pool." Miranda gestured to the now vacant pool table.

            Lizzie spent the rest of the party shooting pool or dancing and catching up with friends from high school and at midnight, the entire party watched the ball drop and toasted to the new year with champagne.  The party slowly wound down after midnight, but most people seemed reluctant to leave and lingered in the front room talking with friends.

            Lizzie had noticed that Gordo seemed a little preoccupied during most lf the party.  She meant to ask him about it several times that night, but was either cut off or distracted.  She lost track of him after the toast and meandered through groups of people looking for him and Miranda, who had also disappeared.  She spotted Miranda talking, surprisingly enough, to Claire.  Miranda spotted Lizzie, quickly finished her conversation with Claire and came over to where Lizzie was standing, shaking her head in confusion.

            "That was weird."  She said, looking back at Claire's retreating form.  "She wanted to know if I knew anything about Kate."  Miranda observed Lizzie's perplexed expression.  "Exactly." She agreed.

            Lizzie felt a tap on her shoulder and turned to find Gordo in front of her.  "Just wanted to let you know I'm leaving."  Lizzie saw his parents by the door, coats in hand, waiting for him.

            Lizzie nodded.  "Are you feeling alright?" she asked quickly.

            Gordo looked confused.  "Yeah, I'm fine.  Why?"

            "Because you seemed a little distracted tonight.  Is something going on?" she asked.

            "Oh." Gordo nodded and didn't say anything else, so Lizzie knew something was going on in his head.  "Give me a call tomorrow." She said, giving him a quick hug.  He nodded again, said goodbye to Miranda and left.

            Lizzie stared after him for several seconds until her mother appeared behind her.

            "You ready to go?" her mother asked her, looking exhausted.

            Lizzie nodded, hugged Miranda goodbye, found her coat and followed her parents to their car.


	13. Car Accidents and Questions

Disclaimer: I don't own Lizzie McGuire, people, places, etc…don't sue me.  I do own characters you don't recognize…i.e. Brenna, Carissa, and Ethan's family and Kate's family.

Thanks to the two people who reviewed!  I was afraid I'd lost all my readers…

And keep in mind here, I know very little about anything medical, including trauma victims and MRI's…most of this is stuff that makes sense in my head.  I don't know if any of it's true, so if it's not, get over it, this is a piece of fiction.

            Lizzie awoke late the next morning to an empty house.  She found a note on the kitchen counter from her mother.

            _Lizzie, Went to pick up Matt from Lanny's and get some food for dinner.  See you soon.  Mom._

            Remembering her grandparents were coming to dinner tonight, Lizzie looked at the kitchen clock.  Eleven thirty.  If she ate something now, she could get away with not eating till dinner.  Looking in the cupboards, Lizzie pulled out some cereal and a bowl and poured herself a glass of milk.  She sat herself down at the counter and pulled the newspaper toward her.  She had been avoiding the newspaper and the nightly newscasts on TV for most of her break; feeling like she had as much bad news as should could take.  She flipped aimlessly through the paper until a headline in the local news section caught her eye.

            _Local Celebrity's Death Sparks Medical Controversy_, the headline read.  Wondering if the piece was about Ethan, she continued reading.

                        _The death of young Ethan Craft just over two weeks ago has become the subject of much debate.  After Craft's death, the staff at St. Anthony's Hospital where Craft was treated released a statement saying that Craft died from complications due to internal bleeding.  _

_                        Last week, the attorney representing the Craft family expressed the family's wishes for further investigation into their son's death.  After consultation with the Craft family, a specialist at Lutheran Medical Center in Los Angeles expressed beliefs that Craft's life may have been spared with proper treatment for his condition._

                        _Dr. Emil Blake maintains claims that if Craft had been properly evaluated upon admittance to St. Anthony's Hospital, doctors should have been able to spot the internal damage and treat it.  When Craft first arrived at the hospital, a series of tests, including an MRI, were done to evaluate his condition.  Blake asserts that a properly performed MRI should be able to detect any internal damage within a patient.  The fact that no damage was observed leads Blake to question the integrity of several specialists and technicians at St. Anthony's Medical Center._

Lizzie looked up from the paper stunned.  The article made it sound like Ethan's death could have been prevented.  Could it have?  Lizzie knew very little about human medical treatment and even less about car accidents, except they scared her to death.  But could Ethan's live have been saved?  Lizzie wanted to know.

Lizzie left her cereal bowl on the table and wandered into the family room, to a wall of bookshelves.  She knew her mother had a family medical book in here somewhere.  Maybe that could tell her something.

She spotted the book and hauled it down from its shelf.  The book weighed a ton and was more than twice the thickness of any of her college texts.  She would definitely be able to find some thing in here.

Lizzie flipped to the index, not sure where to start.  _Why not start at the beginning?_, she thought, turning to the C's.  Finding nothing under "car accident", she frowned.  Maybe "internal bleeding".  She flipped through the pages and again found nothing.  Still thinking, she looked up "MRI" and found two pages.  Unfortunately they were no help, only explaining the concept of Magnetic Resonance Imaging and nothing more.

Lizzie slammed the book shut in frustration, unsure of what to do next.  Still deep in thought, Lizzie climbed the stairs to her room and sat down at her computer.  Once logged on to the Internet, she began her search.

She typed "car accidents" into her search engine and immediately wished she hadn't.  Links for car accident legal services, "How not to get into a car accident" sites, and auto insurance groups filled her screen.  Not what she was looking for.  

Midway into her next search, an instant messenger box popped up on Lizzie's screen.

Brenny0: Hey Liz, how's the break?

Lizzee: Hi Brenna, it's going pretty well I guess, all things considering

Brenny0: yeah, how is it being home with all that sad stuff going on?

Lizzee: it's been a little bit weird…actually a lot weird

Brenny0: how so?

Lizzee: it's weird seeing all these people I went to high school with and then completely lost touch with…it's like we have nothing in common anymore, nothing to say to each other…

Brenny0: …

Lizzee: and Ethan's funeral just got everyone thinking about their relationships with family and friends…or at least it got me thinking

Brenny0: I remember thinking that when my mom died…you think "well, what if I had done something differently?  what if we had gotten along more?  what if I'd been a better kid?"…it's the what if's that really get you and all of a sudden you spend all you time thinking "what would have happened if I had just…?" 

Lizzee: I know what you mean, except here it's like "what if I had been nicer to them in high school?  what if I tried harder to be a better friend?  or what if something different had happened?"…stuff like that

Brenny0: is that what you're thinking?

Lizzee: actually no.  what's going through my head is more like, "what if I had lost Gordo or Miranda or my family?  where would I be without them?"

Brenny0: it's hard

Lizzee: sorry Bren…I didn't mean to bring up your mom…

Brenny0: don't worry.  it's hard sometimes with her not being here, but these things happen and you have to deal with it

Lizzee: yeah…how was your Christmas?

Brenny0: not too bad…went up to Vail and celebrated with my aunt and uncle and five crazy cousins…

Lizzee: you there now?

Brenny0: nah, back in the apartment…I had to work the several days after Christmas…the phones never stop ringing at the doctor's office, even during Christmas!

Lizzee: I can imagine…speaking of, you don't get any car accident victims in there, do you?

Brenny0: no, the majority of them go straight to the hospital or are checked out by EMTs.  why?

Lizzee: just trying to understand how the injuries work…the papers are saying Ethan's death could have been prevented and I'm trying to figure out why

Brenny0: hmm…he died a couple days after the accident, right?

Lizzee: yeah

Brenny0: I got nothin'…I could tell you a little about things that happen right away from when I worked as an EMT, but I don't know a thing about what happens after they get to the hospital…

Lizzee: well, what do you know?

Brenny0: as far as car accidents go, a majority of the deaths that aren't instantaneous are caused by shock…y'know, when there are chemical changes in the body and circulation slows down after some sort of trauma or whatever…that's one of the biggest things they prepared us for in training.  we had what they called the Golden Hour…most trauma victims that experience shock for over an hour generally die, but if we could get to them and help them, treat them for shock and whatever wounds they have, most likely they'd be ok

Lizzee: so the body can more or less take care of itself for an hour?

Brenny0: more or less

Lizzee: that's kinda cool…I didn't know that

Brenny0: yeah it's very cool the way that works, unless your hour runs out, then you're generally not too happy with the idea

Lizzee: I can imagine…do you know anything about MRIs?

Brenny0: very very little…

Lizzee: can they detect damage to internal organs? 

Brenny0:  like internal bleeding?

Lizzee: yeah

Brenny0: I would think so, but I honestly have no idea…

Lizzee: I'll ask you again once you're out of med school

Brenny0: that may be a good idea

Brenny0: OH!  I so forgot to tell you!

Lizzee: what?

Brenny0: I went to a party last night…and I ran into Nick…

Lizzee: Nick?

Brenny0: you have to remember him…he lived down the hall from me freshman year…tall, dark hair, kinda spiky, all the girls were drooling over him…c'mon!  Nick Mari…you have to remember him

Lizzee: Oh!  how could I forget!

Brenny0: you had me scared for a moment there…but anyways…he asked about you…!

Lizzee: really?!?  what'd you say?

Brenny0: that you were a complete freak, of course!  actually, just that you were my roommate and you were available…was that cool?

Lizzee: YES!  

Brenny0: oh…and I gave him our number…he said something about calling you…

Lizzee: Bren, I SO owe you!  

Brenny0: yeah you do, but owe me later, cause work calls…not very loudly, but…

Lizzee: k, talk to you later

Brenny0: later

            Lizzie closed the messenger box and continued her search, keeping her chat with Brenna in the back of her head.


	14. Expect The Unexpected

Disclaimer: I don't own Lizzie McGuire, people, places, etc…don't sue me.  I do own characters you don't recognize…i.e. Brenna, Carissa, Ethan's family, Kate's family and all medical personnel mentioned in the articles. 

Thanks to everyone who continues to review!  Your comments keep me wanting to write!

TheRealXenocide – Thanks for the tip on WebMD…I looked up some stuff and found out most of what I wrote was pretty accurate!  Yay!

keeponwritin – I say ooh a lot too…it's a good word…! 

And one last bit…now when you read this chapter, y'all are probably gonna hate me with a passion.  But just remember, just because it's happened in the story doesn't mean it's final, that it won't change…and I honestly have no idea anymore where this is going, so I'm open to any and (almost) all suggestions.  

And now, without further adieu…Chapter 14…

Several days later Lizzie was flipping through the paper looking for movie show times when she came across another article about Ethan's death.  Forgetting about the movie, Lizzie sat down with the paper and read.

_Earlier this week, the family of the late Ethan Craft filed a lawsuit against St. Anthony's Medical Center.  The Craft's attorney asserts a lawsuit is necessary to partially compensate for the emotional and physical pain and suffering experienced by all members of the Craft family.  _

_An ongoing investigation by the board at St. Anthony's and members of the local medical community has produced evidence that the death of twenty-year-old Ethan Craft may have been prevented.  After being injured in a car accident, Craft was transported to St. Anthony's Medical Center and several specialists at St. Anthony's evaluated his condition.  Craft died several days later from complications stemming from internal bleeding._

_Dr. Emil Blake, a specialist at Lutheran Medical Center in Los Angeles asserted that a properly performed MRI would be able to detect damaged internal organs and bleeding.  Further investigation confirmed Blake's statement.  Three MRI scanners, including the machine used in Craft's evaluation produced faulty images.  _

_Since the investigation reports were released on Friday, just three days ago, twelve specialists and MRI technicians at St. Anthony's Medical Center have been released from their jobs._

            Lizzie couldn't believe it.  Ethan could still be alive and if that Dr. Blake hadn't mentioned anything, the mistake would have gone completely unnoticed.  Lizzie looked back at the paper, as if she had to read it again to make sure it was right.  She had never liked doctors much, but she never thought they could make big mistakes like that.  And the article implied that several workers at the hospital knew, or should have known, that the machinery wasn't working properly.

            And it wasn't just the Craft's.  How many other people had their lives affected by malfunctioning MRI's?  They never would have known it if Ethan hadn't died and all this was brought to attention.  The thought of people being so severely misdiagnosed like that made Lizzie angry; she wanted to do something.  She wanted to help them.

            "Lizzie?" Miranda's voice interrupted her thoughts as she walked into the kitchen.  Lizzie quickly flipped to the back of the paper and located the movie show times.  She wasn't sure she wanted to share this news with her friends just yet; she couldn't figure out why it bothered her so much and wanted to keep it to herself.

            "We still on for the movie?" Lizzie asked, trying to keep her voice normal.

            "Yeah," Miranda answered, sliding into the seat next to her.  "What do you want to see?" she asked.

            "I dunno." Lizzie answered, frowning.  She hated being indecisive.  She had gotten better at over the years, but every once in a while she fell back into the old habit.  

            Miranda grimaced looking at the movie selections.  "There's not really anything out that looks good."  Lizzie looked back at the paper and agreed.

            "Why don't we just go get some food?" Miranda suggested.  Lizzie nodded, food was always a good idea.

            As usual and mostly out of habit, they ended up at the Digital Bean.  Lizzie had been there a couple times over her break and each time she went, she felt older and older.  This time with Lizzie and Miranda walked in, several middle school age kids stared at them.  Lizzie and Miranda stared back and the kids quickly left their table.  

            "You'd think we have walking canes and blue hair the way they were staring." Miranda commented after ordering her coffee.  

            "Yeah," Lizzie agreed, "we're not that old."

            Three teenage girls walked by, one holding a piece of paper and the other two squealing, "What'd he say?  Does he like you?"  Lizzie and Miranda looked at each other.

            "Ok, so we are that old." Lizzie shook her head and led the way to an empty table, coffee in hand.  "Please tell me we never did that."

            "Well, we may have done the squealing thing once or twice," Miranda grinned sheepishly, "but I'm positive we never had to write a note to someone telling them we liked them.  Except for maybe in second grade."  Lizzie grinned, glad they had grown out of those phases.

            "So Miranda, how are things going with Alex?" she asked.  "You haven't mentioned him lately."

            "Alex and I broke up." Miranda said quietly.

            "Oh Miranda, I'm sorry.  I didn't know."

            "It's ok.  I broke up with him." Miranda said.  "We were too different.  And when he got kicked out of school for failing grades, that was the kicker."

            "Ouch." Lizzie rolled her eyes.  "Why is it so hard to find a decent guy?"

            "Who's motivated." Miranda added.

            "Definitely motivated." Lizzie agreed.  "And smart."

            "Or at least works hard." Miranda countered.  "And is fun."

            "And fun to be around." Lizzie added.

            "And encouraging.  Goodness knows we both need that." Miranda smiled.

            "Is that too much to ask for?" Lizzie demanded.  Miranda's smile vanished; this was not going the way she wanted.

            "I don't think so." She started but Lizzie was on a roll.

            "But instead we get stuck with guys like Alex and Caleb.  Remember him?  I dated him for a month or so last spring and after I broke up with him I found out he dropped out of school and started working at a used car dealership.  I can't even believe that!" Lizzie shook her head.  

            "So Lizzie, you're not seeing anyone, right?" Miranda decided to try another approach.  Lizzie shook her head and Miranda continued, "Do you have any one special on your mind lately?"

            "Well, sorta." Lizzie smiled slightly.  "But I don't want to get my hopes up."

            "Why not?" Miranda asked, confused.

            "It's this guy who was on Brenna's floor in our dorm last year.  All the girls in the dorm were completely in love with him.  Anyways Brenna told me she was at a party he was at and he asked about me!  I don't want to get all excited cause it could be nothing and he does have a little bit of a reputation for being a player, but still I-"

            "Lizzie, I can't believe you!" Miranda exploded, nearly sending her coffee cup across the room.

            "What?" Lizzie looked at her friend in shock.  What was her problem?

            "Do you know who you just described?" Lizzie shook her head.  "Encouraging, motivated, smart, fun to be around…" Lizzie still looked confused.  "Gordo!" Miranda cried exasperatedly.

            "What?" Lizzie felt even more confused than she had a minute ago.  "Miranda, what are you talking about?  You know I outgrew my crush on Gordo in high school."

            Miranda couldn't believe how dense her friend was sometimes.  "But he didn't." she said quietly, waiting for Lizzie to catch up.

            "Wait, what?" Lizzie tried to comprehend what Miranda just said.  

            "Lizzie, you heard what I said." Miranda replied quietly.  She took a sip of her coffee and looked expectantly at Lizzie.

            "You mean…." Lizzie stammered, "Gordo has…a thing…for me?"

            Miranda let out a short laugh.  "It's more than a thing, Lizzie."

            Lizzie was at a loss for words.  "But…" she tried as Miranda interrupted her.

            "Lizzie, what's wrong with you?!"  Again, Lizzie couldn't find the words.  Outbursts like this from Miranda were very rare and only about something serious; they never happened twice in the same day, let alone twice in the same five minutes.  Lizzie couldn't grasp what was going on in her friend's head.  "What do you mean, what's wrong with me?"

            Miranda took a deep breath, obviously trying to calm down and began to talk.  "You know how we talk about the perfect guy and what he'd be like or how we always go on and on about how hard it is to find a decent guy ?"  Lizzie nodded.  "Well, you've got one right in front of you!."  A look of confusion overtook Lizzie's face.  "Look at Gordo," Miranda told her, "and think about what you describe every time.  If you look at it, you'll see, he has every quality you describe, every time.  It doesn't matter what mood you're in or how much you change what you want; everything you say, everything you think, goes back to Gordo.  I know you guys have known each other for your entire lives, but that's what makes it so perfect.  You know him; you know he's someone you can trust with anything.  And honestly, there's a lot of us that have been waiting years for this to happen.  It was pretty obvious you both liked each other in middle school; or rather, it was obvious to everyone but you two.  Lizzie?" Miranda waved her hand in front of Lizzie, who was sitting in stunned silence.

            "Lizzie?"  She looked at Miranda, but said nothing.  "Lizzie, c'mon, say something!" Miranda begged as she began to look worried.  "Lizzie, are you okay?"

"Miranda, I just found out my best friend has feelings for me that I never expected him too." Lizzie's words echoed through the Digital Bean, which luckily, at the moment, was fairly empty.  She quickly lowered her voice.  "I never expected for him to feel like that about me.  I was always so…not like him." she said quietly.  "He was always going on about conformity or films or something intelligent while I spent my time worrying what people thought of my dress at a dance.  It just seems so strange."

"But you guys are best friends.  Why should that be any different?" Miranda smiled.  Finally after all these years, her two best friends were going to get together.  "But think about it Lizzie!  You've liked Gordo for years.  Now's your chance to do something about it!"

Lizzie shook her head.  "I can't do anything." she whispered.

Miranda nearly choked on her coffee.  "What do you mean, 'you can't do anything'?" she asked between coughs.  

"I mean exactly what I said earlier." Lizzie told her. "I don't know that I feel that way about him anymore." 

"What do you mean?"  Another outburst from Miranda; Lizzie had to put a stop to this.

"Miranda, why are you so hung up on this?" Lizzie asked.  "If Gordo's so perfect, why don't you take him."

"Because I have never felt that way about Gordo.  And he's never felt that way about me.  So we don't have to worry about it.  Besides, we're not talking about me.  We're talking about you and Gordo."

"Miranda, there is no 'me and Gordo'!" 

"And why not?  'Cause we all know there should be.  Except you're to hung up on Gordo being your 'friend'!  Remember all those times you told me you just wanted a boyfriend who could be your best friend as well?  Well, you've got it now, so deal with it!"

Lizzie, angry beyond belief with Miranda, opened her mouth to respond as the door to the Digital Bean opened.  She quickly shut her mouth and put on a fake smile.  Miranda did the same until they noticed that Gordo was pale and looked sick.  Lizzie and Miranda exchanged a look of concern.

"Gordo?" Lizzie ventured.  "What's wrong?"

"I need to talk to you guys," was all he would say.


	15. A Winning Film And Then Some

Disclaimer: I don't own Lizzie McGuire, people, places, etc…don't sue me.  I do own characters you don't recognize…i.e. Brenna, Carissa, Ethan's family, Kate's family and all medical personnel mentioned in the articles.  And I don't own Peter Weir.

kmacheerchic13 – I didn't mean to make it a cliffhanger…I just ran out of stuff to write!  But I like little cliffhangers…they add drama!

Xo bELLa ItAliAnA oX – Unfortunately I know some college age kids who still talk like that…it drives me nuts!  And I can see Lizzie, Miranda and Gordo growing into intelligent people, obviously Gordo will, so I think a lot of their dialogue should reflect that.  I'm glad you like it.

And to everyone else who reviewed: You're the best!!!  Oh yeah…and keep reading!

Sorry I've made everyone wait so long for this chapter…well it's long for me.  But this week has been insane…four exams, two projects, and a skating test…is it over yet!?  Ok, enough complaints…

I am proud to present…Chapter 15!

"Gordo, sit down." Lizzie pulled him into a chair.  "What's wrong?" she repeated.

"Yeah," Miranda added, "You look sick."

"I'm-" Gordo tried to say fine, but it wouldn't come out.  "…Not sick." he finished.

"You guys remember the short film contest I entered my fictional movie in?" Gordo asked Lizzie and Miranda.  They both grinned, knowing what was coming.  

"I got a call last week.  My film won the contest.""

"Gordo, that's awesome!"  Lizzie and Miranda exclaimed in unison.

"There's more." he told them quietly, not sharing in their enthusiasm.  "I thought it was a typical student film contest, you know, faculty from different film schools judge them and if you win, you get fifty bucks and your film shown someplace cool."

"So what's different?" Miranda asked.

"Well, it was sorta similar." Gordo said slowly.  "But the top five entries were judged by real directors."

"And…" Lizzie prompted.  Whatever was going on was really bothering Gordo, but he was starting to get on her nerves, he needed to just tell them and stop stalling.

"And Peter Wier was one of the judges."  Lizzie and Miranda looked at him blankly.  "You know who he is." Gordo insisted.  "Remember when I made you guys watch Dead Poets Society when we were in high school?  He directed that."  Miranda and Lizzie nodded, looking less lost than they had a second ago.

"Anyway, apparently he really liked my film and I've been offered a spot working on his next film as an intern."  Lizzie's jaw dropped.  "I probably wouldn't be doing too much," he told them, "probably just getting people coffee and getting in the way between takes, but it's a great opportunity for me to see what it's like making a real movie."

Lizzie and Miranda began talking excitedly at the same time; exactly what he expected them to do.  Looking from one to the other, he almost felt like he was back in middle school, the day he told them about the possibility of him going to high school.  He remembered their reaction about him leaving them behind and wondered how they would react this time.

"There's one thing." He interrupted his friends.  "The movie is being filmed in Australia.  And I'll probably be gone for over two years.  They want me to be able to preproduction and all that…" Gordo trailed off, waiting for Lizzie or Miranda to say something.  For maybe the first time in all the year he had known them, they were speechless.

Lizzie recovered first.  "You still have to go Gordo.  This is an amazing opportunity."

Miranda agreed, "That's so cool!  You're going to Australia, and you're gonna work on a movie.  It doesn't get any better than that."

"What's there to think about?" Lizzie asked.

"Nothing." Gordo mumbled, standing abruptly.  He walked out of the Digital Bean without another word, leaving Lizzie and Miranda in shock.

Lizzie glanced at Miranda and hurried after Gordo.  She spotted him halfway across the parking lot and called, "Gordo!  Wait!"

Gordo paused, but didn't turn toward her.  She jogged over and stood in front of him, asking, "Gordo, what's wrong?"

Gordo stared at her for a moment.  Lizzie was starting to feel uncomfortable under his stare when he finally spoke.

"Lizzie, can you honestly tell me you think I should leave everything, everyone behind for two years and go off and do this?"

"Yes." Lizzie answered.  "Honestly.  This is such a great opportunity for you.  This is what you've always wanted to do.  You've been talking since elementary school about cameras and documentaries and movies and directing.  This is your chance to take a big step in that direction."

"So you really think I should go?" Gordo asked again.

Lizzie nodded.

"Okay then." Gordo answered, getting in his car.  He pulled out of the parking lot, leaving Lizzie behind wondering what was going through his head.


	16. She Needs Time

Disclaimer: I don't own Lizzie McGuire, people, places, etc…don't sue me.  I do own characters you don't recognize…i.e. Brenna, Carissa, Ethan's family, Kate's family and all medical personnel mentioned in the articles.  And I don't own Peter Weir.

TheRealXenocide: Did you really smack yourself in the head?  Just curious… And I chose Australia, cause it had to be far enough away, and plus Peter Weir is from Australia, so I figured, why not?  I was going to go with India, but you have to get vaccines in advance and then Gordo wouldn't have been able to leave as soon as I needed him to.  I am such a scientist…I base character's actions around vaccines!  Wow…

Keeponwritin: Exactly.  He can't just come back…but will he really go?  Hmmm…I dunno!  A sequel, huh?  Hmmm…I haven't really thought that much about it…it depends on how I decide to end the story.  You may even decide the ending is so awful you don't want a sequel!  So I'll cross that bridge when I run into it.

Lara: You have no idea how thrilled I was to read your review.  Not about your friend, of course, that's so awful.  But I like that I'm getting the emotions right.  I've never been in this particular situation before.  When I was in high school, a kid I knew and had talked with a bit was killed in a car accident. I knew him well enough to be shaken up by his death, but I didn't experience the emotions of being a close friend, which I needed for this.  So a lot of it is coming from thinking, what if's.  But I'm elated to know that the emotions I'm writing are consistent with the event.  And I'm so sorry about your friend.  It's hard to hear about anyone being murdered, I can't even imagine that happening to someone I know.  Thanks so much for reading!

And to everyone else who reviewed: You guys all made my stupid, crappy Friday so much better.  Thanks for all the reviews!

Ok, so I personally thought this chapter sucked, so I've revised it.  It was way too short and what was supposed to come across, didn't.  So I decided to spend some time today working on it.  Yay Mental Health Day!  Not that I have any mental health at all, I'm sitting in front of my computer singing Christmas carols…but that's not the point.  So if you read the first version, read this and hopefully it'll be ten times better!  If you didn't read the old version, then don't worry about it and read this one!!!

Now Playing…Chapter 16!

Lizzie stood in the parking lot, confused by Gordo's words and action, for a moment or two and then turned back to the Digital Bean, only to find Miranda standing behind her, a shadow of worry cast across her face.  

"Did you hear that?" Lizzie asked her.

            Miranda nodded.  "Only the last part.  I just got a call from my mom, she needs me to come home, so I'll drop you off at your house, okay?"  Lizzie nodded and ran back inside to grab her purse.

            After dropping Lizzie off, Miranda headed towards Gordo's house.  She hated lying to Lizzie like that, but she needed to talk to Gordo.  She had a pretty good idea of what he was trying to do, but it was obvious Lizzie had no clue, so now Miranda had to stop Gordo before he really did leave for good.

            Miranda parked on the curb in front of Gordo's house and ran across the lawn to the door.  Mrs. Gordon let her in and told her Gordo was in his room, she could go on up.  When she reached Gordo's open door, she found him digging through his closet, an open suitcase on his bed.  

            "Gordo, what are you doing?" she asked, sitting on his desk chair.

            Gordo mumbled something unintelligible and continued rummaging through his closet.

            "What?"

            Gordo pulled his head out of the closet.  "If she wants me to leave, I'm leaving!" he said angrily, throwing a pair of sneakers in the suitcase.

            "Gordo, she doesn't want you to leave." Miranda told him.  Gordo began to protest, but she interrupted him.

            "You didn't give her any time to think about this." Miranda continued.  "All she though about was how great an opportunity this was for you.  Which by the way, it is.  She hasn't had time to think about what it would be like if you weren't there."

            "Well, when's she gonna figure it out?" Gordo asked impatiently.  "I'm set to leave the day after tomorrow.  All she has to do is tell me she doesn't want me to go and I won't."'

            Miranda's eyes widened.  She hasn't realized he would be leaving so soon; this didn't give her much time to work with.  But she knew her friends belonged together.  

            "Gordo, would you really give this whole thing up?" she asked.

            Gordo considered her question.  "Yeah.  If she asked me not to go, I'd stay here."

            Miranda grinned at that.  "You know, you really should tell her how you feel."

            "It's not for lack of trying." Gordo told her.  "But something always gets in the way or comes up or I can't figure out how to put exactly what I'm feeling into words."

            Miranda raised her eyebrows in question.

            Gordo sighed and sat down on his bed, still holding the sweatshirt he'd been trying to fold.  "Well, I'm not going to tell her I love her, 'cause I don't know if I do.  But what I'm feeling for her is much more than just friendship; I've known that for years.  I'm just not sure how to get that across to her."

            "Why don't you tell her what you just told me?" Miranda asked.

            Gordo shrugged.  "I've tried to tell her so many times and hinted so many times, but she's never shown any sign of feeling anything besides friendship.  And part of me doesn't want to risk our friendship.  I mean, what if she doesn't feel the same way, things get all awkward and we can't handle being friends."

            "Or she could feel the same way." Miranda suggested.

            "Exactly.  She could feel the same way," Gordo echoed, "and then what if it doesn't work out?  What if we can't go back to being just friends?  I'd rather have her as my best friend.  I don't want us to end up being like all the strained relationships we've been seeing.  I want to be able, even if we haven't seen each other for years, to talk to her like a friend and not like someone I used to know but have nothing in common with now.  But I don't want to spend all my time waiting for her, not knowing what she's going to do.  I'm willing to give up this opportunity, but only if I know I've got something to stay here for."

            Miranda nodded.  If only she could get Gordo to actually say all this to Lizzie.  She'd have to get through to Lizzie on her own.  She stood up.  "Look, I'll talk to her Gordo.  She'll come around, I know she will."

            When she reached Gordo's doorway she turned around.  "Would you really…?" she trailed off.

            "Yeah," said Gordo quietly, "I'd stay for her."

            Miranda was in her car, headed back to Lizzie's house when her cell phone rang.  It was her mother.  Miranda looked at her watch, it was 5:30.  They probably needed her to baby-sit her little sister.  Her mother said something about having dinner with some family friends tonight.  She'd have to talk to Lizzie tomorrow.


	17. A New Plan

Disclaimer: I don't own Lizzie McGuire, people, places, etc…don't sue me.  I do own characters you don't recognize…i.e. Brenna, Carissa, Ethan's family, Kate's family and all medical personnel mentioned in the articles.  And I don't own Peter Weir.

keeponwritin – thanks so much!  I'm glad you love it.  I'm still not entirely sure what I think of it, but this is the closest I've ever come to finishing a story, so I like that part.

Johanna – Thanks for the review.  I can't guarantee how soon I update, but I promise not to abandon this story.

TheRealXenocide – Yeah…the vaccines…I'm studying microbiology so vaccine requirements are something I have to know!  Wow…I'm such a geek!

And to everyone else who reviewed…a great big Thanks!!!  Keep reading!

Just a quick reminder…if you read the short version of Chapter 16, I thought it was pretty sucky so it's been revised.

Now Playing…Chapter 17!

            Lizzie awoke to the phone ringing in her ear.  Still half asleep, she grabbed it.  "'lo?" she mumbled.  

"Get dressed, I'm coming over." The sharp tone in Miranda's voice startled Lizzie.  "Miranda?  What's going-"

"Just get dressed." Miranda cut her short and hung up.

Lizzie rolled over and yawned.  She had gone to bed early in hope of getting more sleep than she had been the past several weeks, but all the thoughts racing through her head kept her awake early into the morning.  Her mind shifted into overdrive again, thoughts racing.  She forcibly slowed them down and tried to organize them, arrange them into some sort of comprehensible order.  She settled on the two most important ones: Ethan and Gordo.

The first wasn't so much Ethan himself, what bothered Lizzie more was his death and the circumstances surrounding it.  Lizzie still couldn't believe the article she had read yesterday.  Maybe she was just being silly and naïve, but she always thought that doctors knew what they were doing.  Or if they didn't, they at least knew enough to make an educated guess and do everything in their power to help.  She couldn't understand how anyone, much less a doctor, could push away someone's life like that.  Which is essentially what happened, thought Lizzie.  By using malfunctioning equipment, those technicians were saying, 'Well, if it works, it works; and if it doesn't, oh well.  Maybe next time.'  How could they do that?  They're dealing with human lives.  It's not like if someone dies, everyone can just shrug their shoulders and move on.  They're playing with the basis of human emotion, the ability to love and care for another person and when that person dies, we can't just pretend they were never there, never a part of our lives-  Lizzie stopped mid-thought and realized she was attempting to strangle her pillow.  She almost laughed at herself for getting so worked up over the whole matter.  Lizzie McGuire, Champion of the People, she thought, shaking her head.

Lizzie slowly sat up and backtracked her thoughts.  She could do that, couldn't she?  She could be like Dr. Blake from the newspaper, who started this whole investigation and had probably saved peoples lives in doing so.  Was that such a crazy idea?  Maybe a little, Lizzie admitted to herself.  The whole concept sounded a little like a TV drama.  Plus she had wanted to be a vet since she was eight years old.  

Yet there was something that kept pulling her mind back to the idea.  She liked the idea of really having an impact on people's lives and being able to help them.  Now that she thought about it, Lizzie realized, she'd always be willing to help people.  Sometimes it even bordered the obsessive side.  She shook her head, recalling her day in seventh grade wearing a burlap dress.  She'd never repeat that again.  

"How'd I get off track?" Lizzie asked herself aloud, pulling her mind back.  There was no question that she wanted to do this, but _could_ she?

"I'd probably have to change my major, or at least my concentration." She mused.  "I'd have to take pre-med courses instead.  And probably some ethics classes too, since a lot of this is ethical…"  Lizzie struggled out of bed and found the backpack she'd used as a carryon.  "Please still be in here." she mumbled as she rummaged through her bag.  A moment later she pulled the spring semester course catalog from the mess in her backpack.  She sat on her floor and began paging through the catalog when she heard her mother's voice from the foot of the stairs.

"Lizzie, you up yet?" she called.

Lizzie grabbed several sheets of paper and a pencil from her backpack, stuffed them in the catalog and carried them with her downstairs.

"Yeah mom, I'm up." She answered as she came down the stairs.

"Come get some breakfast."

Lizzie followed her mom's voice to the kitchen.  She sat down at the counter and again began paging through the course catalog, making sides notes on the paper.  

"Honey,  I've got to run some errands so I'll be gone for a little while.  Do you need anything while I'm out?" Jo looked expectantly at her daughter.

"Mhmm." Lizzie muttered absentmindedly, not taking her eyes off her paper.  Jo smiled, shaking her head, and headed for the door, where she met Miranda.  

Miranda waved to Jo and headed to the kitchen.  As expected, she found Lizzie sitting at the counter, mumbling to herself.

"Hey Lizzie, what's up?" Miranda asked, sitting down next to her.

Lizzie held up a hand.  "Give me two seconds." She said without looking up.

Miranda shrugged and waited.  After a few moments Lizzie scratched something out on her paper and looked up, a aggravated expression on her face.  "Hey Miranda." she replied distractedly.

"What's up?" Miranda asked again, wondering what was worrying her friend.

Lizzie frowned.  "Have you been reading the articles about Ethan in the paper?" she asked.

Miranda shook her head in surprise.  "I didn't know there were any." She confessed.

Lizzie quickly recapped the articles for Miranda, who wore an expression of astonishment after Lizzie finished.  "Wow…" she said quietly, almost at a loss for words.

"I know." Lizzie agreed.  "And what's worse, that could have been going on for a long time.  No one would have known if Ethan hadn't died and that Dr. Blake hadn't noticed something odd.  That hospital would still have been using faulty machines and even more people could have died as a result."

Miranda shook her head, still speechless.

"So I had this idea." Lizzie continued, a little quieter, not sure of what Miranda would think.  "You know how I always want to help people?  Even if it was something little like helping Kate or someone?  That's how I feel right here.  What's happening at that hospital is so unfair, and I want to be able to help all the people that it hurt.  So here's what I'm thinking.  It would help if I could talk to my academic advisor at school, but from what I can tell, there's not a huge difference between the pre-vet program and the pre-med program, and-"

"Wait a minute, Lizzie.  What are you talking about?" Miranda interrupted her.

"I'm saying I want to be a doctor.  I want to be able to help people like that Dr. Blake did.  If faulty equipment is being used in more hospitals…I don't even want to think about it."

"But what about being a vet?  You've wanted to do that almost forever."

"I know." Lizzie sighed.  "Part of me still wants to be a vet.  But the only reason I really have for doing that is that I like animals.  But when I heard about all this stupid stuff that going on at this hospital and people are losing their lives for no reason, it's so unfair and I get so mad I want to kick someone!"  Lizzie smiled at that image.  "But since that's not an option, I just want to make sure that doesn't happen to anymore people.  Understand?" she asked, hoping Miranda would.

Miranda was silent for a moment.  "Yeah,' she said finally, "I think I do understand."  She smiled.  "And it's so you!  I don't know how we didn't see this before, but it fits you perfectly."  She grinned even wider.  "You're gonna be a doctor!"

"Whoa, slow down." Lizzie told her.  "I think I should talk to my parents about this first.  They are paying for my tuition and I think they'd like to know what I'm planning to do with my life.  Plus I want to know what my mom thinks about this."

Miranda nodded.  "That's probably a good idea.  So what are you going to have to do to be pre-med now?  Are you going to have to change majors or anything?"

"I'm not really sure." Lizzie frowned at the papers in front of her.  "I'll definitely have to talk to my advisor about that.  But as far as classes go, I think most of them will be pretty similar or the same.  I've already figured out how to change my schedule for next semester.  I think I can take Human Gross Anatomy instead of Animal Anatomy and Physiology even though it's at a different time…I just need to take biostatistics at a different time.  But otherwise, the rest of the classes I'm taking, I think, are needed for pre-med.  But after this semester, I'm not sure."

"Even so, that's great you have this semester figured out, considering it starts in a week and a half." Miranda pointed out.  

"Very true." Lizzie agreed.

"Hey girls," Lizzie's mom greeted them as she walked into the kitchen, laden with bags of groceries.  "What's true?"

"The semester starts in a week and a half." Lizzie answered.  "And Mom, I actually have to talk to you about it."

Jo nodded, and Miranda stood up.  "Give me a call when you're done." she told Lizzie, not forgetting the reason she had come over.


	18. Changing The World

Disclaimer: I don't own Lizzie McGuire, people, places, etc…don't sue me.  I do own characters you don't recognize…i.e. Brenna, Carissa, Ethan's family, Kate's family and all medical personnel mentioned in the articles.  And I don't own Peter Weir.

To everyone who reviewed…a great big Thanks!!!  Keep reading!

This chapter has been a long time in coming…I know it's been forever since I've updated…I'm sorry!!!  I'm trying to get through final exams right now, and all that junk, so if anyone knows anything about E1/Sn1 and E2/Sn2 reactions in organic chemistry…let me know and I'd probably be able to get the next chapter up sooner.  But thanks for being so patient with me and this story…I hope y'all still like it!

Now Playing…Chapter 18!

            Lizzie spent the entire afternoon talking to her mother.  Jo had read the newspaper articles and been as shocked at the news as Lizzie had been.  After explaining everything to her mother and telling her about her plans for the next semester and the rest of school, Jo was beaming.  "I'm so proud of you!" she exclaimed.  "You have no idea how happy I am to hear you wanting to help people!  Look at you…my baby's gonna change the world!"

Lizzie grinned.  She could always count on her mother to get emotional when it counted.

"Mom, I'm probably not going to be changing the world," she said with a smile.  "But if I can make sure stuff like this doesn't happen again, for at least one person, then I'll be happy with that."  She insisted, trying to keep her mom realistic.  But at the same time, she was thrilled with her mom's excitement.  Lizzie didn't expect her mom to be against the idea; her parents had always supported her in almost everything she wanted to do, she just wasn't expecting her mother to be so enthusiastic.  Lizzie was glad she was though, cause truth be told, Lizzie was starting to get excited herself.  She tried to calm down and reminded herself that she had a long way to go before she got where she wanted to be.

Lizzie and her mother talked their way through the afternoon and as they prepared dinner.  Sam and Matt joined the conversation during dinner and had similar reactions to Jo.

After dinner, Lizzie climbed the stairs to her room in high spirits.  She sat down at her computer and pulled up her university's web page.  "Thank God for technology." She muttered, logging on to her university account.  From there she dropped the Animal Anatomy class from her schedule and registered for Human Gross Anatomy.  After that Lizzie emailed her advisor, letting her know of her change in plans.  

Not sure what to do next, Lizzie opened her buddy list to see who was online.  Neither Miranda nor Gordo were online, but Brenna was.

"Of course!" Lizzie exclaimed.  Brenna was pre-med, she'd be able to help her.

Lizzee:  Hey Bren, I've got some news and something I need your help with…

Brenny0:  hey, Liz, what's up?  I'm all ears

Lizzee:  I decided to go pre-med…

Brenny0:  What?!?  What brought this on?  Oh…the Ethan issue, right?

Lizzee:  right, I'll fill you in on the rest of the details later, but what do I need to know?

Brenny0:  well, I'm no expert, but I don't think it's that different than pre-vet.  Obviously, the anatomy stuff is gonna be different, but other than that, everything will be fairly similar…

Lizzee:  what about med school?  what do I have to do to get into one?

Brenny0:  it's pretty much like getting into vet school.  I've actually heard from a couple people that getting into med school is easier than getting into vet school, but it's still not easy.  Good grades, obviously, a good MCAT score, some work experience in a medical setting…I think you job at the vet may even pass for that…and volunteer work.  That's all I can think of right now.

Lizzee:  volunteer work?

Brenny0: yeah, like helping with Habitat for Humanity, or volunteering at a hospital or school or something…basically the schools want to see that you care about people…they don't want doctors who don't care about who they're working with

Lizzee:  good point

            Miranda sighed impatiently as she hung up the phone.  This was the third time in forty minutes she'd gotten the McGuire's answering machine, so she knew someone was online.  Why did the McGuire's never get a second line?  It was never an issue before, but now Miranda was stuck at home, watching her little sister, again.  So she was stuck in the house, not able to get a hold of Lizzie and Gordo was leaving in less than twenty-four hours.  Miranda was beginning to get panicky.  What if Gordo really did leave?  Lizzie and Gordo couldn't be together if he left.  She knew he was getting impatient and irritated with himself for never being able to tell her and with Lizzie for giving him such mixed signals.  They were constantly talking and knew almost everything about each other; a fact Miranda had finally come to terms with.  But then Lizzie would get go off and get distracted by some guy…and always the wrong one.  Miranda shook her head, remembering the used car salesman story.

            Miranda grabbed the phone and dialed Lizzie's number again.  Again the answering machine picked up.  She nearly threw the receiver back onto the handset.  This was getting ridiculous.  She had less than twenty-four hours to convince Lizzie of her feelings for Gordo and to stop Gordo from leaving.  She needed a plan.


	19. No Turning Back

Disclaimer: I don't own Lizzie McGuire, people, places, etc…don't sue me.  I do own characters you don't recognize…i.e. Brenna, Carissa, Ethan's family, Kate's family and all medical personnel mentioned in the articles.  And I don't own Peter Weir.

Thanks for all the good reviews!  They always make my day!

Wow…two chapters in three days…go me!  I can't figure out for the life of me how whenever I really want to write, I end up with the biggest case of writer's block ever, and then when it's the weekend before final exams, I get thirty billion ideas!  Go figure…it's Jane's Law of…something…I'll figure that out later.  Moving on…

Now Playing…Chapter 19!

Gordo groaned as his alarm clock went off in his ear.  Loudly.  "Why did I set it so early?" he muttered, reaching for the alarm.  He fumbled around, trying to find the snooze button, and after knocking his phone off his bedside table, finally found the snooze.  He rolled over onto his back, meaning to go back to sleep, but he never got that far.

            Gordo's mind was racing.  Today was the day.  Gordo glanced at his clock, it was 8:30.  In less than six hours he would be boarding a plane, leaving everything behind for two whole years.  Gordo sat up wondering if he could really do it.  

            He'd never really had to leave like this before.  Even though he had gone to college in New York, Gordo always knew he'd be able to come home.  But now he was going to Australia.  It seemed half a world away from home compared to New York.  And essentially, it was.  At four this afternoon, he would get on a plane for an umpteen-hour flight to Auckland, New Zealand where he'd change planes and take another flight to Sydney.  So once he boarded that plane, there was no turning back.  Not to mention the time difference.  He'd looked at time zone maps a couple times, but succeeded into doing nothing but confusing himself.  The only think he could figure out was that when it was 8 am in California, it would be 10 pm in Sydney.  That would make keeping in touch with everyone back home difficult.  There was always email, but it didn't really have the same effect as actually being able to talk.

Since there was only a three-hour time difference between New York and California, Gordo was able to talk to his family and friends fairly easily through instant messaging and the phone.  In the year and a half he'd been at school, he'd kept in close contact with his parents and even closer contact with Miranda and Lizzie.  Lizzie…

Gordo's stomach lurched.  He'd forgotten to tell Lizzie!  She didn't know he was leaving today.  Gordo automatically reached for the phone and glanced at the clock.  8:40.  She wouldn't be up yet.  He'd have to wait to call her.  

He lay back down on his bed, but thoughts kept running through his head at a rapid pace.  Part of him wanted to just leave, and not worry about Lizzie.  She had told him to go after all.  _But that's not fair_, Gordo thought.  She knew what an opportunity this was for him and she didn't want him to give it up.  That meant she cared about him, right?  Of course she cared about him, but not in the way that Gordo always wanted.  He tried to imagine what he would do if Lizzie had an opportunity like this.  Gordo couldn't think of anything specific; this wasn't his area, but he knew there had to be great opportunities in the world of veterinary medicine and he supposed some of them could be half a world away.

_But what would he really do?_  Gordo had known Lizzie forever, and he didn't like the idea of not having her in his life.  But if it made her happy…  Gordo sighed, not at all sure what he'd do.  He'd probably end up telling her she needed to make her own decisions, just like he always did.  But would he have the nerve to tell her about his feelings?

He decided he probably would.  That's what he would do; he'd tell her how he felt and let her make up her mind about what she wanted to do.  He decided he would call Lizzie later and he reassured himself that if Lizzie had any feelings for him, she'd tell him before he left.  Right?

"Right." Gordo told himself out loud.  "I think…"

Lizzie awoke to Matt running down the stairs, yelling something about his last few days of freedom before school started again.  Lizzie yawned, her mind still reeling from last night.  She'd spent several hours talking with Brenna about medical schools and everything that went along with them.  She'd been online so late, she'd even gotten an email response from her advisor, who had confirmed that Lizzie wouldn't have to change majors, but she would have to switch from pre-vet to pre-med and she would get a new academic advisor who could help her sort everything out.  So now Lizzie was really looking forward to going back to school and starting her brand new plan.

Lizzie sat up stretching and glanced at her desk calendar.  It was only Thursday.  She still had a whole week and a day before she left for Colorado.  As much as she anticipated leaving, she decided to thoroughly enjoy the next week with her family and friends; and with that, she headed downstairs.

Lizzie had barely made it halfway down the stairs when the doorbell rang.

"I'll get it." She called to her family in the kitchen and opened the door to reveal a very anxious looking Gordo.

"Gordo, what are you doing here?" she asked, looking at the hall clock.  It was just after ten.

Gordo gave her a worried smile as he stepped into the house and Lizzie shut the door, now feeling nervous.  Gordo turned to face her, restlessly shifting his weight back and forth.

"I-" Gordo paused and tried again.  "I wanted to tell you that I'm leaving today.  For Australia."

Lizzie felt her jaw drop.  _He's leaving?  Today?!?_

After a moment, Gordo continued.  "They've already started pre-production, so they wanted me out there as soon as possible.  My flight leaves at two.

Lizzie, still stunned from the news, sat down on the stairs, unable to speak.  _How can he just leave like this?  We were supposed to have one more week together…_

After another awkward pause, Gordo spoke again.  "I just came over to say goodbye."

Gordo was starting to get mad.  He decided that calling Lizzie to tell her he was leaving was a rotten thing to do, so he'd made the short walk to her house.  He told her he was leaving.  And now all she could do was sit there wordlessly on the stairs, staring at the floor.

"Well, I thought you might want to say goodbye, seeing as I'm not going to be around for the next couple of years, but apparently that's too much to ask of my best friend." he spat out.  Gordo knew the words were harsh, but he'd expected at the very least an "I'll miss you." from her.

Furious at Lizzie, he turned to the door and took one last look at his best friend.  "See you around." He said, knowing he wouldn't, and slammed the front door shut, not looking back.


	20. A Ride To The Airport

Disclaimer: I don't own Lizzie McGuire, people, places, etc…don't sue me.  I do own characters you don't recognize…i.e. Brenna, Carissa, Ethan's family, Kate's family and all medical personnel mentioned in the articles.  

Ok, here we go…One - I know this chapter is really, really short, but it's that way because then next chapter is the final one, so it'll be long and a lot of stuff will happen.  Two - keeponwritin brought up the idea of a sequel.  At first I hated the idea, but it's grown on me and I now have an idea for a sequel to this story.  So…this is where you guys come in.  Let me know what you think of the finished piece and if you think a sequel is a potentially good idea and if you would take the time to read it and review and all that good stuff.  So, in other words, I need your input!  Review!!!!  I'm not gonna put any of this stuff, or any A/N for that matter, in the final chapter…I like to let my endings speak for themselves, so I'm counting on you guys to read and remember this…

Now Playing…Chapter 19!

Miranda opened her eyes to the sun streaming through the window.  She blinked a couple times in confusion and realized she had fallen asleep on the couch in her family's living room.  Miranda sat up as her mother walked into the room.

"Morning sweetie." Her mother said with a smile.  "We were beginning to wonder when you'd wake up."

Miranda looked at the clock on the mantle.  "Ten forty-five!  It's almost eleven!  Why didn't you guys wake me up?"

Her mother smiled.  "You looked so warm and happy sleeping on the couch.  I didn't have the heart to wake you."

Miranda rolled her eyes and pulled herself off the couch.  Of all the days her mom decided to let her sleep.  Gordo was leaving today.  She had to call Lizzie and force her to come to her sense!  Miranda headed towards the closest phone, in the kitchen.

Just as she reached for the phone, it rang.  Miranda jumped, gave herself a moment to calm down and picked up the phone.

"Miranda, it's me." Lizzie said, recognizing her friend's hello.

"Lizzie, what happened to calling me last night?  I tried to get a hold of you for hours lat night."

"Miranda, did you know Gordo was leaving today?" Lizzie asked, deliberately ignoring Miranda's question.  

"What?" Lizzie could tell her question caught Miranda off guard.

"You knew he was leaving today." Lizzie continued.  "And you didn't tell me."

"Lizzie, what do you think I've been trying to talk to you about for the past two days?  And why didn't you call me last night?  I meant to tell you yesterday morning, but you were so caught up in your new school plans I completely forgot for a while.  I was going to tell you when you called, but you never did."

"Never mind, I just need you to drive me to the airport."

Lizzie could practically hear Miranda grinning over the phone.  "Give me half an hour, I need to shower, and I'll be there."

Lizzie hung up the phone and sighed.  She was frustrated with Miranda for not telling her Gordo was leaving, she was frustrated with Gordo for not telling her he was leaving so soon, and she was mostly frustrated with herself.  Miranda was right, she always complained about the lack of decent guys in her life, and the right one had been right in front of her the whole time!  She could have kicked herself for being so dense, but the last time she tried that…

And to top all that off, now Gordo thought she hated him.  After Gordo stormed out, she had sat on the stairs for nearly ten minutes before she realized Gordo had left.  She had heard the words as he stormed out, but her mind was working in slow motion and hadn't registered them until he was long gone.  She'd even ran the short distance to his house, but no one answered the door.  Lizzie figured Gordo's parents were at work and Gordo was on his way to the airport.  So she had to go after him.  Lizzie wasn't sure what she'd do when she found him, but it was better than just letting him go.

Lizzie looked at her watch.  It was eleven.  She had three hours to track Gordo down, tell him how she felt and, hopefully, keep him from leaving for good.


	21. Final Decisions

Disclaimer: I don't own Lizzie McGuire, people, places, etc…don't sue me.  I do own characters you don't recognize…i.e. Brenna, Carissa, Ethan's family, Kate's family and all medical personnel mentioned in the articles.  

Now Playing…The Grand Finale, Chapter 21

An hour later, Miranda pulled into the McGuire's driveway and Lizzie was out the front door and in the passenger seat before Miranda could turn off the car.

"Where have you been?" Lizzie demanded, pointing at the clock on the dashboard.  "You said half an hour!"

"I know, I know." Miranda grinned sheepishly.  "I had to take a shower and then I had to dry my hair.  But I'm here now and we're on our way.  Besides, it only takes forty-five minutes to get to the airport anyway."

Almost an hour and a half later, Lizzie and Miranda pulled up at the passenger drop off at the airport, Miranda complaining loudly.

"Whose dumb idea was it to start construction on a road that doesn't even need it, and take traffic down to one lane?!  Go find Gordo." She told Lizzie, practically shoving her out the door, "and once I find the parking lot and figure out how to get there, I'll come find you guys."

Lizzie nodded and headed inside the main terminal, feeling more and more nervous.  She had to find out airline Gordo's flight was on, find the gate it was leaving from and get there before he could leave.  All in less than half an hour.  Yikes.

Lizzie approached the bank of TV monitors that listed departing flights.  What city would Gordo's plane be flying into?  Sydney was her best guess, but it wasn't listed.  Brisbane maybe?  Not listed either.  Maybe he was changing planes somewhere.  But where?  Probably not Hawaii.  What about New Zealand?  There it was!  Flight 713 to Auckland, New Zealand, departing at Gate A34 at 2 pm.  Lizzie looked at her watch.  She had twenty-five minutes.

Lizzie made her way through the crowds and the line at the metal detectors, checking her watch every few minutes.  By the time she got through the line and to the concourse, she had fifteen minutes left.  

She asked someone where Gate A34 was and was pointed down a long concourse.  She could barely make out the sign A34 about halfway down.  Deciding to avoid the crowded moving walkways, she began to jog beside them, ignoring the strange looks from people who wondered why she was running down the concourse.

She was nearing the gate when she spotted Gordo's dark curls near the edge of the small crowd near the gate.  "Gordo!" she shouted and broke into a sprint toward him.  Gordo turned toward the voice calling his name and saw her, his face bearing an unreadable expression.

Lizzie reached him and grabbed his hand, pulling him away from the curious crowd.

"Lizzie-" he began angrily, before Lizzie cut him off.

"Don't go." she told him, staring into his eyes, silently pleading with him.  His face softened for a moment before a look of confusion took over.  "But you told me to go." He reminded her.

"I know," she replied, now not at all sure of what she was doing.  "But I didn't know.  I didn't know how you felt about me.  And I didn't know how I felt.  And then I didn't know how to react when I found out.  And you were right, Ethan's funeral made me think about if one of my family or friends was gone and…" Lizzie realized she was babbling, that her words weren't echoing her thoughts.  She closed her eyes for a moment to regain her composure and made a split second decision.

"But you have to go." she told him, her eyes beginning to cloud with tears.  

"What?" Lizzie had never seen Gordo so confused.  She was feeling that way herself.  She had just confronted her growing feelings for Gordo that morning and now she was telling him he had to leave; go halfway around the world for two years and risk never seeing her again.  She wondered if she was making the right choice and considered taking it all back, and telling Gordo she wanted him to stay with her.  But she knew she could never ask him to do that.  She cared about him too much to ask that.  And in her heart she knew even if he offered to stay, she would still make him go.  He couldn't pass up such an opportunity; she wasn't worth that.

"You have to go." She said quietly.  "Yes, I have feelings for you; I know that now.  But that doesn't give me any right to make you give up your dream.  That's not fair.  So you have to go."

She stepped closer and gave Gordo a quick hug and a peck on the check.  "You have to go." She repeated, trying to smile, and turned to leave.

Gordo quickly caught her arm and pulled her around to face him.  "Come with me." he said quickly.

"What?" Lizzie asked, stunned.  Did she hear him right?  She couldn't have.  This was Gordo; he'd never even suggested something that crazy in his whole life.  

"Come with me." He repeated.  "We'll get you a ticket; the plane's not full." He said, gesturing to the small crowd.  "You could stay with me and I bet we could find you work on the movie set.  Come." He urged her, taking her hand in his.

Lizzie mind began racing and her knees grew weak.  Go with Gordo to Australia?  What fun!  Lizzie had no problem picturing the two of them in Australia; surfing, working on the movie set, starting their new life together…

But she couldn't.  Just twenty-four hours ago she had chosen a new plan for herself, a new dream.  And just as it wasn't fair for her to ask Gordo to give up his dream, it wasn't fair for him to ask her to give up her's.  

She looked up at Gordo and he smiled sadly back at her, anticipating what was come.

"I can't…" she said softly, choking on the words.   Gordo nodded in understanding.  He pulled her into a hug and they both forgot about the bustling airport and the numerous stares from people around them, getting lost in their own little world with just the two of them in it.

"This is the final boarding call for Flight 713 to Auckland, New Zealand, leaving from Gate A34.  All passengers should now be boarding."

At that announcement, they pulled apart and Gordo dug through his pockets to find his boarding pass.  "I promise I'll call you when I get there." He told her.  Lizzie nodded.

"I'll miss you." she told him, desperately fighting back tears.

He leaned toward her.  "I'll miss you too.  But I'll be back.  I'll promise." he said quietly.  He kissed her briefly and pulled back.  Lizzie hungered for more, but she understood.  If Gordo had let the kiss go a moment longer, he would have lost all resolve and decided to stay.  But it was obvious Gordo knew what he had to do.  He gave her hand a comforting squeeze before turning toward the gate.  Lizzie watched him walk to the gate, leaning on the metal barrier behind her, not convinced her weak legs could support her right now.  She finally broke down, tears streaming down her face as she watched Gordo disappear down the ramp to the plane.  

Finally after the door to the ramp had been closed and the plane had backed away from the gate, Lizzie finally felt capable of walking.  She walked slowly, still feeling shaky, and her mind began to wander.  What would have happened it Gordo had stayed?  What if she had gone with him?  Lizzie shook her head, knowing better than to play the "what if" game with herself.    She made her way back to the main terminal where she met Miranda running from the other direction.

Miranda saw her friend's face and knew better than to ask questions right now.  She and Lizzie linked arms and the two of them walked out of the airport, thoughts of hospitals and medical school filling Lizzie's head.  Even though Gordo didn't know about her idea of a one-woman revolution on the medical field, Lizzie knew he would always be behind her, even if he was half a world away.


End file.
